SMART
Science Article
Ohio
Valley Parent Magazine April 2010
Over
the
Rainbow
Springtime
brings April showers and then May flowers. During
April
showers
you
can sometimes see a glimpse of one
of nature’s most beautiful sights—a multicolored rainbow.
Sprinkler
Rainbow
You
can make a rainbow even when it isn’t raining by trying this activity.
You
will need:
sprinkler
or garden hose
backyard
or safe place away from traffic
friends
and parents to play in the water with
sunny
day
What
to do:
Turn
on the garden hose or sprinkler.
Have
your friend, brother, or sister, mom, dad or grandparent help you with
the
hose.
Experiment
with the mist from the hose until you see the rainbow of colors.
What
colors do you see? Where did you
need to be positioned to see the rainbow?
Where was the sun? Was it
behind you or in front of you?
Rainbows
form because white light is actually made up of many colors. Raindrops are little spheres that cause
the white light to bend, or refract.
When the light refracts, it seems to split into all of the
beautiful
colors we see on rainy day with some sunshine. The
colors
of
the
rainbow are red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, indigo, and violet, or purple.
ROYGBIV is one way to remember the order of the colors. Do you always see the same amount of
each color? Can you make a rainbow
that doesn’t have the colors in the same order?
Prism
Rainbow
A
science toy called a prism can also make rainbows.
Prisms are made of glass or a material that also causes
white light to bend, or refract.
When the light refracts, it splits into the ROYGBIV colors. To play with a prism, you need some
very bright light or sunlight.
When the light passes through the prism, you can see the rainbow
of
colors on the wall, table, or floor.
If you have a white piece of paper or a white wall you will be
able to
see the colors better. The photo
in this article was formed from an “aquarium prism”.
When the sunlight shines just right, you can sometimes see
rainbows formed where you have glass coming together at corners, like
in an
aquarium.
CD
Rainbow
Another
way you can create a brilliant and colorful rainbow makes use of some
things
you probably have in your home.
You
will need:
a
flashlight, preferably one with LED bulbs that produce a bright white
light
a CD
that you would use with your computer or CD player.
A
dark room.
What
to do:
Remember
to be careful handling the CD so as not to scratch it. In a dark room,
shine
the flashlight onto the CD from several different angles. Can you make
a
rainbow appear on the wall or ceiling? Try shining the light on both
sides of
the CD to see if there is a difference.
Does it have the same colors as the ROYGBIV rainbow that we see
in the
sky? Are the colors in the same order? What do you notice about the CD
that
might cause it to break the white light into the colors of the rainbow?
For
more information about rainbows, visit our website at
"http://www.smartcenter.org/ovpm/rainbows" www.smartcenter.org/ovpm/rainbows
Spring
Sky Events
Be
sure to join the staff of the SMART-Center along with the ASTROLABE
astronomy
club and Near Earth Object Foundation for the monthly StarWatch on April 16th
at Brooke Hills Park near Wellsburg.
National Astronomy Day and the
Fifth Annual WV Kite Festival are on the
same Saturday this year, April 24th, at Brooke Hills Park.
The WV Kite Festival begins at 1:00
p.m. and lasts until 6:00 p.m. The
first 100 children will receive a free kite to fly at the event. National Astronomy Day sky observations
begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Cardinal Shelter. Come
join
in
the
fun and enjoy the spring sky!
For
more
information about these and other upcoming events and activities, visit www.smartcenter.org