Real & Apparent Depth

Topic Content:

What is Apparent Depth?

Apparent depth is the position an object appears to a viewer when viewed from another medium.

When a glass block is placed on a coin and the coin is viewed from above the glass block, the coin appears nearer to the top. The rays from the object O are refracted away from the glass into the air. The depth as it appears to the eye is called apparent depth as opposed to the real or actual depth of the coin.

Real depth, apparent depth and refractive index are related by the formula:

\( n = \frac{Real \: Depth}{Apparent\: Depth}\)

For example, if the real depth of an object at the bottom of a pool is 15