Scribd
Upload
11 views36 pages

Lights and Making Rainbows

The document explains the formation of rainbows through the dispersion of light, primarily focusing on Isaac Newton's discovery that white light can be split into various colors using a prism. It details the scientific principles of reflection, refraction, and dispersion that create a rainbow when sunlight interacts with water droplets in the atmosphere. Additionally, it discusses the nature of light, its properties, and how colors are perceived based on the reflection and absorption of different wavelengths.

Uploaded by

Xun Rou Cham
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
11 views36 pages

Lights and Making Rainbows

The document explains the formation of rainbows through the dispersion of light, primarily focusing on Isaac Newton's discovery that white light can be split into various colors using a prism. It details the scientific principles of reflection, refraction, and dispersion that create a rainbow when sunlight interacts with water droplets in the atmosphere. Additionally, it discusses the nature of light, its properties, and how colors are perceived based on the reflection and absorption of different wavelengths.

Uploaded by

Xun Rou Cham
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 36

Formation of

Rainbow
Discovery about Light
• Isaac Newton discovered that white light can be split into different colours
• He used the white light from the Sun coming through a small opening
• A glass block in the shape of a triangle was used to split the light into its
colours
• The colours were shining on a screen
Discovery about Light

• This is how the colours look like when seen on a


screen.
• These are the colours that make up white light.
The Spectrum

• Spectrum: The range of colours that can be seen in white light


• Colours are not separated but merge from one to another
• The colours appear in the spectrum in the following order:

red orange yellow green blue indigo violet

• You can remember the colours of rainbow in order using the


following made up name:

ROY G BIV
Dispersion of Light
• Splitting of light into different colours
• Caused by refraction
• Each different colours that make up white light is refracted through a slightly
different angle
• This can be shown using a triangular prism

• When a ray of white light passes through the


prism, the ray is refracted
• Violet is refracted through the largest angle
• Red is refracted through the smallest angle
What Is a Rainbow?
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon formed when light,
generally from the Sun, passes through water droplets hanging in the
atmosphere. The atmosphere is a layer of gas that surrounds the Earth
which enables us to breathe and protects us from harmful radiation
from the Sun.
As the waves of light pass through
the water droplets, they change
direction, resulting in a
multicoloured circular arc.

To be able to see a rainbow, you


normally need to have your back
to the Sun. Rainbows will usually
appear in the section of sky
directly opposite the Sun.

Did You Know…? Rainbows are actually full circles.


The Physics behind a Rainbow
A rainbow is the result of three
scientific phenomena:
reflection, refraction and
dispersion of light.

White light from the sun enters the droplet of water and is refracted.
Refraction causes dispersion in the same way in which white light
generates a spectrum of light when it traverses a prism. Inside, at the
back of the droplet, this spectrum is reflected and refracted once again
when leaving the droplet.

prism
refraction reflection
Let’s Try!
Textbook pg 206
Let’s Try!
Textbook pg 206
Let’s Try!
Textbook pg 207
Colours of Light
All About Light
What is light?
It is a small part of the electromagnetic
spectrum, but it is the one we are most
familiar with.
How fast does light travel?
The speed of light! This is 300,000km/s in
space, or 197,000km/s in glass.
How big are light waves?
From 400nm to 700 nm in length.
More about Light
How big is a nm (nanometer)?
It is one billionth of a meter! (1 x 10-9)

What happens when light strikes an object?


• absorbed: transferred to the object (mainly as heat)
• reflected: it bounces off (such as with a mirror)
• transmitted: goes through (such as with glass)
Light & Objects
Objects are classified by what they do to light:
• opaque: Does not allow light to pass through. All
light is either absorbed or reflected.
• translucent: Can be seen through, but not clearly.
Allows some light to go through, but some is also
absorbed or reflected. (such as waxed paper)
• transparent: Allows almost all light to go through,
so can be seen through clearly. (such as window glass)
White Light
White light is made up of all the colors of the
rainbow. How do we know?

Because a prism
splits the light into
its component colors.
So… how or why do we see colors?
We see the color of light being
REFLECTED from an object.

For example, a blue


object reflects blue light
and absorbs all others.
A black object absorbs
all colors of light and
doesn’t reflect any.
A white object reflects
all light and absorbs
none.
Primary Colours
• You have learned that there are seven colours in white light

• These colours can be seen in the rainbow

• There are three colours of light from which all other colours of light can be

made

• These are called primary colours

• The primary colours cannot be made by mixing any other colours of light
Subtractive Color System
You can use coloured filters to remove colours from light.
If a transparent piece of coloured glass is placed in front of white light, then
only light of that colour will be transmitted (get passed through)
Example: traffic lights
• Three identical white lights are used
• In front of each lamp is a coloured filter: red, yellow or green
• White light is made from the seven colours of light
• When the seven colours arrive a the red filter, only red is transmitted, the
other six colours are absorbed.
.
Additive Color System
How do monitors and TVs display color?
They produce color based on the additive color system,
which involves light emitted directly from a source before
an object reflects light.
A TV screen or computer monitor creates color using the
primary colors of light: red, blue and green. From these
three colors a wide range of colors can be produced.

Thousands of red, green and blue


phosphor dots emit light to make
the images seen on monitors.
The three primary colors of light are:
red, green and blue
(Remember this is LIGHT!)

All colors we see are


made from these three
colors being reflected in
different combinations
and amounts.
Three secondary colors of light are made by
combining two primary colors in equal amounts:

red + blue = magenta


blue + green = cyan
red + green = yellow

Since white light is all colors


of light, mixing red + green +
blue light = WHITE light
(Mixing the secondary
pigment colors: yellow, cyan
and magenta = black)
Let’s
Try!
State whether the following colours are primary or secondary.
Let’s
Try!
Fill in the blanks with the correct colour transmitted by the addition of light.
Let’s
Try!
Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

blue black yellow green


secondary colours red primary colours
cyan
blue

secondary

subtraction of light

secondary colours

yellow

red

yellow
Seeing Colours
Non-luminous: does not emit its own light
A non-luminous object reflects light.

The flower is seen in white light


It looks yellow because it only reflects yellow light
The flower absorbs the other six colours in white light
Seeing Colours
Seeing Colours
• Red objects only reflect red light
• Blue objects only reflect blue light
• They absorb all other colours

• In blue light, the red cube appears black


• There is no red light for it to reflect, blue
light is absorbed

• In red light, blue cube appears black


• It absorbs the red light and does not
reflect any light
Let’s Try!
(textbook pg
214)
Let’s Try!
(textbook pg
214)

You might also like