Making rainbows

• Physics
• Secondary Education
• Age 12,13

06 April 2023

6.3 Making Rainbows

Content objectives

• I can recall that white light is made from different colours of light.
• I can describe how to use a prism to produce dispersion of white light.
• I can list the seven colours in order, starting from red.

Recall Question 

Why can't you see clearly through wet windows?

Advantages - Useful Application

Disadvantage 

Key Questions 

• Do I ever see a rainbow at night?
• Does the sun need to be shining in order for me to see a rainbow?
• Does there have to be rain or recent rain to enable me to see a rainbow?
• What colours can I see in a rainbow?

What conclusion did Isaac Newton make about visible white light?

What happens to white light when it's refracted at a different angle through a glass prism? 

Key question

How does a rainbow form through the dispersion of light?

Lesson Summary

• White light is made from different colours of light.
• Dispersion happens when a ray of light passes through a prism, the ray is refracted. Violet light is refracted through the largest angle and red light is refracted through the smallest angle.

• The seven colours of visible light are R.O.Y.G.B.I.V.