Q&A for How to Make a Rainbow

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How is a rainbow created?

Community Answer

A rainbow is formed when white light is dispersed into its component colours which are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and indigo. You usually see a rainbow after rain or at places near a waterfall because water droplets are suspended in the air, causing sunlight to disperse.

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Question

Can you make a rainbow indoors without using sunlight, a mirror or glass?

Community Answer

A disc or a CD has a film that makes rainbows when in contact with strong light.

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Question

Why do I need sunlight in order to create a rainbow?

Community Answer

The light emitted from the sun has white light, which is actually a mixture of different colors. When the sunlight refracts with the water droplets in the air, the white light disperses in form of different colors of the spectrum.

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Question

What is the triangular piece of glass that makes a rainbow when the light shines through it?

Community Answer

This is called a prism.

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Question

How can I remember the colors of the rainbow?

Community Answer

Remember the name Roy G. Biv or the sentence Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain. Each letter in Roy G. Biv and the first letter of each word in the sentence will give you the colors in the correct order - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

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Question

Can I use a glass of water in the sunlight to make a rainbow?

Community Answer

Yes. You can do this using method 3 in this article, but keep in mind that the rainbow will be very small.

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Question

Can oils on asphalt make a rainbow as well?

Community Answer

Yes, it can.

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Why won't black reflect color like the white does?

Community Answer

You need light colors to make it appear, and the black paper just absorbs the light instead of reflecting it.

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Question

After a sunny day today and no rain, a rainbow with all the colors appeared on my dining room wood floor. Why did this happen?

Community Answer

It was probably just a result of the sun's reflection through a glass window or door. Either that or it was your imagination.

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Question

Imagine you're inside a glass pyramid that is covered by water on one side, does it create a rainbow inside the pyramid?

rainbow li

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I think it will work with sunlight shining through, because glass can reflect a rainbow if there's sunlight.

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Question

Can there be other colors in a rainbow?

Community Answer

You can make your rainbow with any colors you'd like. Real rainbows always have the same red/orange/yellow/green/blue/violet color spectrum.

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Can I make a rainbow with just water mist and a good high-powered light source, no additional reflective surfaces?

rainbow li

Top Answerer

Yes! Actually, water is a type of reflective surface. A rainbow should appear with your method.

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Why does a rainbow have no end?

Community Answer

It is just an optical illusion. What is perceived as a rainbow is actually just sunlight bouncing off many raindrops. So the gold at the end of a rainbow is just baloney! You’ll never get there (unfortunately).

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Question

What causes sunlight to refract or bend?

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Top Answerer

Reflective surfaces. Like mirrors, they reflect and bend to create a rainbow.

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Question

Can I use other light sources besides the sun?

Community Answer

Yes, but they need to be bright in order for you to see the rainbow easily. You should also try to aim the light source at your prism or water. If it's not bright enough or aimed properly, it will be dim and hard to see.

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Question

When I spray mist to make a rainbow, do I need to spray it at a certain angle?

Community Answer

Spray it at an angle that catches the sunlight. Usually, it works best if you're point it upward.

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Question

Do I need sunlight to make a rainbow?

Community Answer

Not necessarily. As long as you have light that is bright enough to reflect against whatever object you’re using, then it will work.

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Question

Can light travel with a medium?

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Community Answer

Light doesn't require a medium (for example, sunlight coming to earth travels in a vacuum), but can travel in a medium (for example, light passing through the atmosphere).

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Question

Picture #3 shows 3 hoses.

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Community Answer

It's one hose at 3 positions at 3 different times. Basically, the picture tells you to adjust at an appropriate angle so you can see a rainbow.

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