479. Why is the apparent depth of water always deceptive?
Because the light reflected from the objects at the bottom is refracted as it leaves the water.
480. How much deeper is water than it appears to be?
About one-third. A person bathing, and being unable to swim, should calculate before jumping into the water, that if it looks two feet deep, it is quite three feet.
481. Why can we seldom at the first attempt touch anything lying at the bottom of the water with a stick?
Because we do not allow for the different refractive powers of water and of air.
"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth."