The Science of Rainbows.
Explanation Text: The Science of Rainbows
Rainbows are beautiful optical phenomena that
appear when sunlight and atmospheric water
droplets combine in a specific way. They are not
physical objects, but rather optical illusions created
by the interaction of light with water. Here's how it
works:
Sunlight, which appears white, is actually
composed of a spectrum of colors. When sunlight
enters a raindrop, it slows down and bends, a
process called refraction. Because different colors
of light bend at slightly different angles, they
separate, creating a spectrum. This separated light
then reflects off the back of the raindrop and exits,
refracting again as it leaves.
To see a rainbow, you must have the sun behind
you and rain in front of you. The rainbow appears
as an arc because the raindrops that create it are at
a specific angle relative to your eye and the sun.
The most common angle is 42 degrees.
Sometimes, you can even see a double rainbow,
where the light reflects twice inside the raindrops,
creating a second, fainter arc with the colors
reversed.
The colors of a rainbow always appear in the same
order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and
violet (ROY G BIV). This is because of the different
wavelengths of light, with red having the longest
wavelength and violet the shortest.
Questions:
1. What are rainbows?
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
2. What is the process called when light bends as
it enters a raindrop?
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
3. What is the relationship between the sun and
the observer when viewing a rainbow?
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
4. Why does a rainbow appear as an arc?
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
5. What is the approximate angle at which
raindrops create a rainbow?
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
6. What is a double rainbow, and how is it
formed?
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
7. What is the acronym used to remember the
colors of a rainbow?
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
8. Why do the colors of a rainbow always appear
in the same order?
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
9. Are rainbows physical objects?
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
10. What are the two main things required to
create a rainbow?
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
