What term describes the bending of light waves when they pass from one medium into another?

The bending of light waves when they pass from one medium into another is known as refraction. This phenomenon occurs due to the change in speed of light as it travels through different materials. When light enters a medium with a different density, such as moving from air to water, it changes speed and direction—this bending effect is what we refer to as refraction. This principle is essential in optics and explains how lenses work, as they rely on the bending of light to converge or diverge rays to form images. Understanding refraction is crucial in applications such as designing optical devices, predicting the behavior of light in various environments, and even in everyday occurrences like the visual distortion of objects submerged in water.