Rainbow: refraction and internal reflection in a water drop
Trace rays through a raindrop; minimum deviation gives the 42 degree primary bow and the 51 degree secondary with reversed colours.
About this experiment
| Subject | Physics |
|---|---|
| Class | 12 |
| Chapter | 9. Ray Optics and Optical Instruments |
| NCERT section | 9.5 |
| Level | Advanced (JEE / Olympiad) |
| Time | about 14 minutes |
| Access | Included in a PractiSci plan |
What you do in the lab
Change the controls and watch the physics behave in real time in 3D. Live readouts and graphs show the numbers behind it, and the Learn tab has the theory, procedure, observations and viva questions. Works on a phone or a laptop, in English and Hindi.
Topics: rainbow · dispersion · minimum deviation · water drop
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- Focal length of a concave lens (lens-combination method)
- Human eye and its defects (myopia, hypermetropia)
- Convex and concave lenses, lens maker's formula
- Compound microscope and telescopes
- Concave and convex mirrors: image formation
- Optical fibre: acceptance angle, numerical aperture and dispersion
- Prism: deviation curve and dispersion