ERIC Number: EJ721558
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Feb
Pages: 1
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-8148
EISSN: N/A
What Causes Rainbows?
Beck, John
Science and Children, v41 n5 p21 Feb 2004
If one looks at a rain cloud with the Sun behind one's back, the sunlight and water drops may interact just right, revealing the familiar arc of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Many of people have been pleasantly surprised to see a rainbow in the sky, but probably have not considered why they occur. Rainbows are caused by sunlight going into and out of raindrops. When the light enters the water drop, the different colors get bent in slightly different directions. This is called refraction and it is how water breaks light into colors. After bouncing off the inside, the light leaves the water drop and, again, the different colors get bent even more into different directions. This article briefly describes the what causes rainbows; colors of light; and making rainbows.
National Science Teachers Association, 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782 (Toll Free); Web site: http://www.nsta.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A