Bertram's MaskCooper MilesAward: Top 100
School: leigh high school/campbell union high school district A transparent material does not perfectly transmit light. For example, the mask on Bertram the Shark acts as both a lens and a mirror, letting most light through, but also reflecting a small amount of light. This allows the observer to see Bertram's face and a virtual image of the flowers on the surface of the mask at the same time. Additionally, the curvature of the mask allows it to act as a sort of convex mirror, which causes the light rays from the flower to be refracted. The refraction of these rays warps the image and reduces its apparent size. An ordinary convex mirror has uniform curvature, but Bertram's mask has different curvature at different points on the mask, causing the image of the flower to have its warped appearance, as light rays are being reflected and refracted in a multitude of different directions. Interestingly, Bertram's face does not appear refracted when the observer sees it through the mask. This is due to the proximity of Bertram's face to the mask. If his face were further from the mask, the light travelling through it would be refracted by the mask, and have a warped appearance, just like the reflected light. 
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