The Fermat Paradox

The Fermat Paradox questions why light, which always takes the shortest or fastest path, sometimes appears to do so in a curved or unexpected way, such as bending around objects or through different media. While Fermat’s principle states light takes the quickest route, the paradox lies in understanding how this principle applies in complex environments, especially where multiple paths exist. In essence, it highlights the subtlety of light’s behavior, showing that the "fastest path" can involve intricate trajectories in varying conditions, leading to phenomena like refraction and reflection that seem paradoxical but are natural outcomes of physics.