How a Rainbow Works

[RunescapeZkid]

but i always wondered, is there a spot where the rainbow starts u know?

[EvilChicken666]

Bla bla bla - this is bs.

Everyone knows rainbows comes from sonic rainbooms!

[donte8176]

This will definently help me with my science fair project!

[SGASGASGASGA]

But why is the rainbow shaped as a circle and not just straight like the raindrops? Also why do you only see them in a particular part of the sky?

[Inkan1969]

@SGASGASGASGA Because the light rays have to reach your eye. The light rays from the rest of the sky are in directions such that they miss your eyes.

[SGASGASGASGA]

@Inkan1969 I though again about this and isn't it the case that the drops in the other parts of the sky refracts the light to frequencies humans are unable to percieve?

[Inkan1969]

@SGASGASGASGA Refraction doesn't change a light wave's frequency. It changes the speed that light passes through a medium. Light is slower when passing through a medium than in a vacuum. That's why it gets refracted. But again the frequency is not changed.

[SGASGASGASGA]

@Inkan1969 I did not mean that, as shown in the video refraction makes the different frequencies move into different directions. The part of the sky above the rainbow for example will emit infrared light which humans can not see. This at least was my thought.

[NihalNoufel]

Wonderful explanation

[redfox0071]

Great explanation!!!

[georgiegirl5542684]

thanks, ur better than my science teacher!!

[mdinka]

here's the thorough and easy to follow explanation by MIT physics prof. walter lewin watch?v=p9iB2PALVeY

he also describes very nicely the secondary rainbow and the origin of the diffuse white light one can see in the centre of the rainbow. highly recommended.

thanks for the explanation!

[WendelaochPepsi]

awesome explanation, but how does this work in the secondary rainbow?

[westin318]

it said it has every color... i dont see a white or black!

[WendelaochPepsi]

@westin318 black isn't really a color, black is what you see where no light is absorbed. white is all the rainbows colors in one.

[westin318]

@WendelaochPepsi ive tried all the colors and it made brown... AH HA!!!! THERES ANOTHER COLOR THEY DONT HAVE !!!!!! BROWN!!!!!!!!

[WendelaochPepsi]

@westin318 brown is just a darker shade of red, or just black mixed with red really.

[1ynnf]

@westin318 brown is darker...red. White is all color (which is what is splitted in order to make a rainbow in the first place) and black is the absence of all color (in this case light(like when you turn off the light in your room))

:)

troll : )

[Cheesyhampster]

man that is good explaining!!!!

[MicrotekMybisi]

Makes sense now... Thanks for posting!

[sjj500]

your explaination made a hell alot more sense than everyone elses...thanks! :)

[Arvak777]

double rainbow all the way!

[cameraperson]

DOUBLE RAINBOW! WOAAAAAH AHHHHH WWOOOOO

[HenryTheChipfork]

Sorry, but I have to be a wise ass here. At 0:35 you said "light goes at different speeds". That's just plain wrong.

The different colours only vary in wavelength and therefore frequency.

The speed always remains the same, no matter what kind of light you have.

The human eye only can process wavelenghts between 630nm (violet) to 700nm (red).

Infrared for instance is out of that spectrum. Next time you see a double rainbow, remember the gaps are filled, you just can't see it.

[lukesanborn1]

@HenryTheChipfork Actually, he is correct. The speed of light (when described as a constant) is only really a constant in a vacuum. The actual speed of light can change depending on the medium through which it is traveling.

[Marksnicks117]

@HenryTheChipfork Light speed changes slightly in different mediums

That is how refractions works and why when you look into water everything seems like it is at a different location than it really is

[jquinones55]

i thought leprechauns made rainbows oh well (would have been better if leprechauns did it).......

[tomk2010]

someone should send this video to this lady /watch?v=w3qFdbUEq5s

[counterfeitcoin]

still doesn't explain why the colors come in a "bow" and why that bow is an arc (circle?)

[NexIuguolo]

it's cuz god made it that way, DDDUUURRRRRR.

No idk, i think it has something to do with our eyes as circular lenses?

[BartSelecta]

A rainbow is a full circle, but only half is visible.

[Killerspoons423]

it's the aliens.....they mess with your head...

[okuma0kuma]

well the particles aka atmosphere is wrapped around the earth and the earth is spherical not flat in shape which would meaning the particle layers are also spread equal around the earth effecting the spectrum equally >.>

there is no real end to the rainbow it is a ring shaped but if the solid earth was invisible the ring would disappear because rainbow is the silhouette were the shadow and brightness meet ,chrome is a fun metal to play with light

[bakeingfoo22]

@counterfeitcoin

what do you mean colors come in a bow????

[shelbyvo]

@counterfeitcoin That's because the sunlight coming into the raindrop is hitting the drop everywhere. Top, bottom, left and right sides. The explanation in this video just needs to be rotated... so turn your head completely sideways. If the raindrop is far to the outside, you'll see the red light, etc..

[counterfeitcoin]

@shelbyvo thanks!

[BrentLarryproduction]

HI CSS!

-Brent

[jjjooorrrjjjooorrr]

Finally, after all this time I finally know!!!!!!!!

[skoch3]

Great description, thanks! I'm going to use this in my conceptual physics course.

[debunker1905]

how come i don't see a rainbow in my shower? it's full of drops of water! oh, i'm at the part where you said millions and millions of drops. never mind.

[Timotay]

i get a rainbow in my shower sometimes so shut the fuck you you foooooooool!

[debunker1905]

oh wait.... you see a rainbow in the shower? I think it is time to quit smoking weed...

[caririgramwr02]

That was a fucking dumb comment...

[okuma0kuma]

probably caused by the chlorine or other toxic chemicals with in your tap water supply lol

[KimInTheBox]

Awesome, im going to put this as an example for my Science fair project. =] instead of me saying all this stuff. =P

[Andylocksigma]

I thought God did it? :)

Good video!!!

[urbania70]

Very good video

[mandamill84]

well, im a lil smarter than i was before... thankyee... you know you have a good voice to put ppl to sleep... i mean its really calm.. i mean it as a good thing... ill shut up now:)

[afg231]

wow

[fmjkali]

I love how in the description it says, "but are they [rainbows] things". Very educationally sound!

[chris8649]

Also, you need a bright light pointing in the direction you are looking. And it helps if the drops of water have fallen far enough to stabilize into little spheres.  You can see the rainbow effect on a sprinkler with the sun right behind you.

[darkuran]

Well, not spheres - the "classic" drop shape (just google "Water drop" if you don't know what I mean) is the most stable, because that's when there's the least air resistance :)

That's how some of the fastest vehicles were designed - to be shaped like waterdrops (well, as close as possible).

[iLuvMargarita]

how come i don't see a rainbow in my shower? it's full of drops of water! oh, i'm at the part where you said millions and millions of drops. never mind.

[urbania70]

because you'd need (1) a "pointlike" light source (practically a source so distant that you see it as covering little angle, just as the sun covers relatively little part of the sky), (2) drops yes, but between light source and eye, so that light can go through them.

[KunoichiDoctor22]

red and yellow and pink and green...orange and purple and blue!!!!!!!!!!!...........i can see a rainbow...see a rainbow...see a rainbow too!!!!!

That brought back lovely childhood memories.

Lovely video...thank you for the upload ^.^

[zramdeen]

sweet..

[nvca9403tgut]

amazingly educational!