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A STAGNANT POOL.

Where do the colours comc from in a stagnant pool? What happens when water stagnates is that various forms of life grow on its surface. Pure water alone will not support life; there must be some other tiling in the water, and perhaps an oily layer on the surface before these things, mainly microbes, will "row. Their growth covers the surface of the water with very thin layers of matter from wliicii the light is | reflected to our eyes when-we look at it. But it happens, as in manv other cases, such as a soap-bubble or mother of pearl, that the light is partly broken up as it is rellected from these thin layers of stuff, or as it passes through tliein; and so the colours are produced. The reason is that the waves of light, as thev return, some from one layer of the surface, some another, interfere with each other.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19400120.2.218.6

Bibliographic details

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 17, 20 January 1940, Page 6 (Supplement)

Word Count
155

A STAGNANT POOL. Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 17, 20 January 1940, Page 6 (Supplement)

A STAGNANT POOL. Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 17, 20 January 1940, Page 6 (Supplement)