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She fearfully pointed to the spider over her head that hung from a transparent web.

User Omarojo
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The spider in the image is hanging from an orb web. Orb webs are the most common type of spider web and are found all over the world.

Refractive index: The refractive index of a material is a measure of how much it bends light. Viscid silk has a refractive index that is very close to that of air. This means that when light hits a viscid silk web, it is not bent very much. As a result, the web is not very visible to our eyes.

Surface structure: Viscid silk webs are made up of very thin strands of silk. These strands are so thin that they are smaller than the wavelength of visible light. This means that light cannot be scattered by the strands, which makes the web appear transparent.

Water droplets: When dew or rain falls on an orb web, it forms water droplets on the silk strands. These water droplets help to make the web even more transparent. The water droplets act as lenses that focus the light, making it more difficult to see the web.

Question:-

What type of web is the spider hanging from in the image, and what physical properties of the web make it appear transparent?

She fearfully pointed to the spider over her head that hung from a transparent web-example-1
User Nitin Varpe
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