Experiment Three:

Somewhere Over the Rainbow!

(Making your very own rainbow)

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Let's Get Started: Materials Needed

101 Great Science Experiments Book, A shallow dish, Bright Flashlight, Small poster board, Duct Tape, Mirror, Water

Step One: Pour water into the shallow dish until it is about half full.

Step Two: Put duct tape on the back of the pan, and attach the mirror firmly. (Note: If the mirror is attached correctly, it will slope.)


(Placing the mirror in the water)

(The result of the mirror being properly placed in the water)

Step Three: Shine the flashlight on the par of the mirror that is under the water.
Step Four: Hold the poster board above the back of your head as you shine the flashlight.

You Now Have Your Own Rainbow

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Discussion Questions:

What is a prism?

What colors are in rainbows?

Do all rainbows have the same colors?

Are the colors always in the same order?

What order do you think they are in?

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Put Your Thinking Caps On!

Think of ways you see rainbows: CD-ROMs, soap bubbles, rain drops, fish tanks, and glass as the light hits them. Although the sun’s rays appear colorless, the rays contain all the colors of the rainbow mixed together. This mixture is known as white light. When white light strikes a white crayon, it appears white because the crayon absorbs no color and reflects all colors equally. A black crayon absorbs all colors equally and reflects none, so it looks black. Artists consider black a color, but scientists do not, because black is the absence of all color.

Indeed the traditional rainbow is sunlight spread out into its spectrum of colors and diverted to the eye of the observer by water droplets. The "bow" part of the word describes the fact that the rainbow is a group of nearly circular arcs of color all having a common center.

The Color Spectrum:

A prism separates white light into a group of seven colors called a spectrum. These seven colors are always in the same order. The colors of the spectrum are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. You can make up a name by using the first letter of each color to form a person's name. ROY G BIV Light can be reflected and bent. When light passes into the prism glass it slows down and it bends. The color red is not as bent the same way as the color violet is bent. When the colors come out of the prism, each color is bent in a different way and in a different quantity.

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Other Resources For This Lesson:

4th Grade Lesson Plan

Related Concepts of Light Refraction (Allison Hayes)