Session 2020-21

Submitted Submitted to-

by- Piyush sir
Aamarsh Jain Science teacher
Introduction

 We usually only see rainbow after a shower of rain, and it

also occurs in waterfalls and ocean waves. This is
because water droplets is essential in the formation of
rainbow
 Basically, rainbow is formed when white light dispersed,
reflected and refracted by water droplets.
The Steps Involved in the Process

1. Sunlight strikes water droplet

2. Reflection of light at the surface of water
droplets
3. Refraction of light - light entering the
water droplet
4. Light dispersion
5. Total internal reflection occur at the water-
to-air interface
6. Refraction of light - light leaving the water
droplet
7. Further light dispersion
Step-1:Sunlight strikes water
droplets.

 When light meets a water droplet, it is refracted at the

boundary of air and water, and enters the droplet, where
the light is dispersed into the seven colors. The rainbow
effect occurs because the light is then reflected inside
the droplet and finally refracted out again into the air.
It usually happens :
After a shower of rain
Dawn or late afternoon
Step-2:Reflection of light at the
surface of water droplets

 It is possible to see through a glass window

but, at the same time, see your own reflection.
 This is because the window both transmits
and reflects light.
Similarly, water can do this too - that is why
you can see a reflection in a pool of clean
water and also see the bottom.
When sun light hits a water droplet,
some of the light is being reflected.
This light will obey the Law of
Reflection.
Recap-law of reflection
The angle of incident must be equal
to the angle of reflection
 Step-3:Refractionof light-light
entering the water droplets

 Refraction occur when a light wave

passes from one medium to another.
The light slows down when travel to a
denser medium. Thus the light will bent
towards to the normal so that the angle
of incident (i) is greater than the angle of
reflection (r)
Step-4:Light dispersion
 A beam of white light (e.g. sunlight), is
made up of wavelengths of different
colors of light..
 Different wavelengths travel at different
speeds. When they encounter a change
to medium that is more dense or less
dense, the speeds are affected by
different amounts. Hence, the colors
separate.
 This phenomenon is know as Dispersion.
 For example, when a beam of white light
passed through a prism, the beam of light
is dispersed and the colors are separated.
 Such process could also seen when light passed through water
droplets.
 The picture below shows white light incident on a drop of water on a
CD resulting in dispersion
 Basically, the colors dispersed are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue,
Indigo and Violet in that order respectively.
 Each color has different wavelength, as shown below.
 Violet light has a higher frequency and energy than red light. Hence
violet light travels slightly faster than red light. The result of this
difference is that when white light is refracted, the violet component
is bent most and the red component is bent least.
 Step-5:Total internal reflection occur at
the water-to-air interface

 At the water-to-air interface of the water droplets, total

internal reflection will occur if the angle of incident is greater
than the critical angle.
 So, after known that the critical angle of water air interface is
48.75,we know that total internal reflection will occur if the
angle of incident greater than the 48.75.
 Step-6: Refraction of light-light
leaving the water droplet

 In the other way round, when light travel

from a medium to another less dense
medium, the light will travel at a greater
speed. Thus the light will bent away from
the normal so that the angle of incident
(i) is smaller than the angle of reflection
(r)
 Thus, when light travels back out of the .
raindrop, refraction occurs. The diagram
below shows the angles for the violet ray.
Step-7:Further light dispersion

 Thus, after the sunlight leaves the water droplets, it is

being refracted again. Hence it will increased the
separation of the component colours of white light again.
(dispersion)The rainbow is finally formed when sunlight
dispersed, reflected and refracted through thousands of
water droplets in the atmosphere.
Where should we observe the
rainbow

 A rainbow is always directly opposite the sun from the

observer. That is, the rainbow appears in front of the
observer, whose back is to the sun.