Why Is the Rainbow Curved ? ā§°āĻžāĻŽāϧā§āύ⧠āĻāĻŋāϝāĻŧ āĻŦā§āĻāĻāĻž āĻĻā§āĻāĻž āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧ ? : hysics (Light / Optics) : āĻĒāĻĻāĻžā§°ā§āĻĨāĻŦāĻŋāĻā§āĻāĻžāύ (āĻĒā§āĻšā§° / āĻ āĻĒā§āĻāĻŋāĻā§āϏ)
A rainbow is a natural spectrum of seven colors seen in the sky after rain. It forms when sunlight passes through raindrops. The light bends (refraction), reflects inside the drop, and splits into different colors (dispersion). These colors appear as a curved arc in the sky.
ā§°āĻžāĻŽāϧā§āύ⧠āĻšā§āĻā§ āĻŦā§°āώā§āĻŖā§° āĻĒāĻŋāĻāϤ āĻāĻāĻžāĻļāϤ āĻĻā§āĻāĻž āĻĒā§ā§ąāĻž āϏāĻžāϤāĻāĻž ā§°āĻā§° āĻĒā§ā§°āĻžāĻā§āϤāĻŋāĻ āĻŦā§°ā§āĻŖāĻžāϞā§āĨ¤ āϏā§ā§°ā§āϝ⧰ āĻĒā§āĻšā§° āĻĒāĻžāύā§ā§° āĻŦāĻŋāύā§āĻĻā§āϤ āĻĒā§ā§°ā§ąā§āĻļ āĻā§°āĻŋ āĻŦā§āĻāĻāĻžāĻ āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧ, āĻĒā§ā§°āϤāĻŋāĻĢāϞāĻŋāϤ āĻšāϝāĻŧ āĻā§°ā§ āĻŦāĻŋāĻāĻŋāύā§āύ ā§°āĻāϤ āĻŦāĻŋāĻāĻā§āϤ āĻšāϝāĻŧ, āϝāĻžā§° āĻĢāϞāϤ āĻāĻāĻžāĻļāϤ āĻŦā§āĻāĻāĻž āϧāύā§āĻā§° āĻĻā§°ā§ āĻĻā§āĻāĻž āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧāĨ¤
• A rainbow forms when sunlight enters raindrops. : āϝā§āϤāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āϏā§ā§°ā§āϝ⧰ āĻĒā§āĻšā§° āĻŦā§°āώā§āĻŖā§° āĻĒāĻžāύā§ā§° āĻŦāĻŋāύā§āĻĻā§āϤ āĻĒā§ā§°ā§ąā§āĻļ āĻā§°ā§, āϤā§āϤāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž ā§°āĻžāĻŽāϧā§āύ⧠āϏā§āώā§āĻāĻŋ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤
• The light bends inside the raindrop (refraction). : āĻĒā§āĻšā§° āĻĒāĻžāύā§ā§° āĻŦāĻŋāύā§āĻĻā§ā§° āĻāĻŋāϤ⧰āϤ āĻŦā§āĻāĻāĻžāĻ āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧ (refraction)āĨ¤
• The light then reflects inside the drop. : āϤāĻžā§° āĻĒāĻŋāĻāϤ āĻĒā§āĻšā§° āĻŦāĻŋāύā§āĻĻā§ā§° āĻāĻŋāϤ⧰āϤ āĻĒā§ā§°āϤāĻŋāĻĢāϞāĻŋāϤ āĻšāϝāĻŧ (reflection)āĨ¤
• The light splits into seven colours (dispersion). : āĻĒā§āĻšā§° āϏāĻžāϤāĻāĻž ā§°āĻāϤ āĻŦāĻŋāĻāĻā§āϤ āĻšāϝāĻŧ (dispersion)āĨ¤
• Raindrops are round in shape. : āĻŦā§°āώā§āĻŖā§° āĻĒāĻžāύā§ā§° āĻŦāĻŋāύā§āĻĻā§āĻŦā§ā§° āĻā§āϞāĻžāĻāĻžā§° āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤
• Because light leaves many round drops at different angles, we see a curved arc. : āĻā§āϞāĻžāĻāĻžā§° āĻŦāĻŋāύā§āĻĻā§ā§° āĻĒā§°āĻž āĻĒā§āĻšā§° āĻŦāĻŋāĻāĻŋāύā§āύ āĻā§āĻŖāϤ āĻāϞāĻžāĻ āĻāĻšā§, āϏā§āϝāĻŧā§ ā§°āĻžāĻŽāϧā§āύ⧠āĻŦā§āĻāĻāĻž āĻĻā§āĻāĻž āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧāĨ¤
Key Point: Rainbow appears curved because light leaves round raindrops in an arc.
āĻŽā§āϞ āĻāĻĨāĻž: ā§°āĻžāĻŽāϧā§āύ⧠āĻŦā§āĻāĻāĻž āĻĻā§āĻāĻž āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧ āĻāĻžā§°āĻŖ āĻĒā§āĻšā§° āĻā§āϞāĻžāĻāĻžā§° āĻĒāĻžāύā§ā§° āĻŦāĻŋāύā§āĻĻā§ā§° āĻĒā§°āĻž āϧāύā§āĻ āĻāĻāĻžā§°āϤ āĻāϞāĻžāĻ āĻāĻšā§āĨ¤