Which of the following describes the bending of light waves as they pass through different mediums?

The bending of light waves as they pass through different mediums is known as refraction. This phenomenon occurs when light travels from one medium to another, such as from air into water, resulting in a change in speed and direction of the light waves. The change in speed occurs due to differences in optical density between the media, which causes the light to bend.

For instance, when light enters a denser medium, it slows down and bends towards the normal line (an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence). Conversely, when light exits a denser medium into a less dense one, it speeds up and bends away from the normal. This bending effect can be observed in various situations, including the apparent bending of a straw in a glass of water.

In contrast, absorption refers to the process of light being taken in by a material rather than passing through it, reflection involves the bouncing back of light waves off a surface, and dispersion is the separation of light into its component colors due to varying degrees of refraction. Each of these processes has distinct characteristics and does not describe the bending of light in the manner that refraction does.