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posted by  clean hitter on 11/6/2009 11:39:20 AM  |  status: Live  |  Earned Karma: 2374

Rainbow

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N/A N/A N/A N/A 11/19/2009 at 11:00:00 PM
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Describe the accepted model of rainbows. Specifically, discuss how the model accounts for the size, shape, location, and color ordering of primary rainbows.
Tags: Physics
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posted by Nick9 on 11/7/2009 5:56:40 AM  |  status: Live
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 A rainbow spans a continuous spectrum of colours; the discrete bands are an artefact of human colour vision.Rainbows can be caused by other forms of water than rain, including mist, spray, and dew.sevenfold red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet .The light is first refracted as it enters the surface of the raindrop, reflected off the back of the drop, and again refracted as it leaves the drop. The overall effect is that the incoming light is reflected back over a wide range of angles, with the most intense light at an angle of 40°–42°. The angle is independent of the size of the drop, but does depend on its refractive index. Seawater has a higher refractive index than rain water, so the radius of a 'rainbow' in sea spray is smaller than a true rainbow. A rainbow does not actually exist at a particular location in the sky. Its apparent position depends on the observer's location and the position of the sun. All raindrops refract and reflect the sunlight in the same way, but only the light from some raindrops reaches the observer's eye. This light is what constitutes the rainbow for that observer. The position of a rainbow in the sky is always in the opposite direction of the Sun with respect to the observer, and the interior is always slightly brighter than the exterior. The bow is centred on the shadow of the observer's head, or more exactly at the antisola point (which is below the horizon during the daytime), appearing at an angle of 40°–42° to the line between the observer's head and its shadow. As a result, if the Sun is higher than 42°, then the rainbow is below the horizon and cannot be seen as there are not usually sufficient raindrops between the horizon (that is: eye height) and the ground, to contribute. Exceptions occur when the observer is high above the ground, for example in an aeroplane (see above), on top of a mountain, or above a waterfall.
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