Make a MIRAGE in a Coffee Cup With This Easy Science Experiment!

Ever see those wavy lines in your coffee or tea and wondered what they are? Turns out, you’re witnessing the same physics behind a desert mirage—right in your kitchen. This simple experiment uses hot water and overhead light to reveal mesmerizing patterns, caused by the bending of light through layers of water at different temperatures. It’s a Schlieren-like effect you can see with just your eyes—no fancy equipment needed. What’s going on here? Light bends when it passes through areas with different refractive indices, like hot and cool layers of water. That bending creates the shimmering, dancing lines—just like the ones you see rising off a hot road. 🔬 Try it yourself and subscribe to Tommy Technetium for more hands-on science tricks! #SimpleScience #Schlieren #CoffeeCupExperiment #Refraction #ScienceShorts #shorts #physics #chemistry