<^The Color Spectrum> Sunlight appears to be colorless or white. But don’t let it fool you. It is really a mixture of many colors of light. Don’t believe it? See it for yourself! It’s easy: On a sunny day, turn your back to the sun. With a hose, spray fine water in the air. The water drops reflect and bend the light rays back to your eyes. Look in the spray for a spectrum, an arc of colors also called a rainbow.
A <#5647,5145><!prism> is a special lens that splits white sunlight into a <#5648,5121><!spectrum> of color. You can make a prism with a drinking glass or glass pan filled with water. Set the glass or pan on a sunny windowsill. Find a spot where sunlight enters and then exits the glass or pan. Hold white paper in the light beam, and slowly move it around, changing the angle. Look closely. At just the right angle, you can see a faint rainbow on the paper.
What colors do you see in a rainbow? In what order? A rainbow always has red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Count on it! These colors are in a rainbow because they are the colors that mix together and make “white” light.
