![]() ![]() One path of great significance in the discussion of rainbows is the path in which light refracts into the droplet, internally reflects, and then refracts out of the droplet. Each path is characterized by this bending towards and away from the normal. There are countless paths by which light rays from the sun can pass through a drop. The droplet causes a deviation in the path of light as it enters and exits the drop. And upon exiting the droplet, light speeds up and bends away from the normal. The decrease in speed upon entry of light into a water droplet causes a bending of the path of light towards the normal. Light waves refract when they cross over the boundary from one medium to another. The water represents a medium with a different optical density than the surrounding air. To understand these questions, we will need to draw upon our understanding of refraction, internal reflection and dispersion.Ī collection of suspended water droplets in the atmosphere serves as a refractor of light. But just exactly how do the droplets of water disperse and reflect the light? And why does the pattern always appear as ROYGBIV from top to bottom? These are the questions that we will seek to understand on this page of The Physics Classroom Tutorial. The net effect of the vast array of droplets is that a circular arc of ROYGBIV is seen across the sky. As you sight into the sky, wavelengths of light associated with a specific color arrive at your eye from the collection of droplets. Each individual droplet of water acts as a tiny prism that both disperses the light and reflects it back to your eye. To view a rainbow, your back must be to the sun as you look at an approximately 40 degree angle above the ground into a region of the atmosphere with suspended droplets of water or even a light mist. A rainbow is an excellent demonstration of the dispersion of light and one more piece of evidence that visible light is composed of a spectrum of wavelengths, each associated with a distinct color. ![]() One of nature's most splendid masterpieces is the rainbow. ![]()
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