Light Refraction Experiments

Light Refraction, it might sound like a big scary term, but today’s experiment is basically about rainbows! Who doesn’t love a rainbow experiment? These simple experiments are perfect for your elementary kids, but can be easily adapted for many ages. Today we are going to use Light Refraction to make rainbows and make art work disappear! This is one activity your kids will be talking about for ages.

Rainbow Science with Light Refraction

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I don’t know about you, but I always go out and check the sky after it rains. Sometimes you are greeted by the most beautiful and magical sight… a rainbow!

I love chasing rainbows. They’re so beautiful, but they never last too long, you can never catch up to them, and you never know when you’ll get to see another. But did you know you can create rainbows at any time?

I was sitting on the couch and caught a rainbow on the cushion next to me. The rainbow showed up because of something called prism refraction. The window I was sitting near had a beveled or slanted edge which caused the rainbow. I was thinking about how cool light refraction really is and how a rainbow is actually just cool science. Let’s explore a little more about light refraction and rainbows. Then we can do some activities that you can try at home or in the classroom to make sure the science of rainbows isn’t soon forgotten!

How is a Rainbow Made?

Light

There are a couple of elements that you need to make a rainbow, the first is light. But really, what is Light?

Light is a kind of energy that moves in waves. It travels really fast and helps us see everything around us. The light that we can see with our eyes is called visible light. This visible light comes in lots of different colors. When the colors mix together, they make white light, an example of white light would be the light from the sun.

Refraction

The second thing you need is something that will bend or refract the light such as a drop of water or a beveled edge of glass.

Refract? What’s that?

Refraction is when light bends as it passes from one material to another. So when the light enters the water or the glass it actually slows down and bends, creating a new path. The bending of light is called refraction.

How Do Rainbows Form in the Sky?

A rainbow will appear in the sky when sunlight passes through raindrops causing water refraction. This is why you need a rainy day and sunlight, to see rainbows.

STEP 1: Sunlight enters a raindrop. Remember, when sunlight hits a raindrop, it slows down and bends as it moves from the air into the water.

STEP 2: The light bounces around the inside surface of the raindrop.

STEP 3: Light turns and leaves the raindrop. As this happens the light bends again. This second refraction causes the light to spread out and show its different colors, creating a rainbow.

Rainbows will always follow the same color pattern, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. When I was young, we were always taught the acronym ROY G. BIV, to remember the order of the colors. But you might know other tricks!

Refraction in Action!

Want more Rainbow Science? Check out our Rainbow Science Experiments.

I have two WOW worthy experiments for the kids that will surely drive home the concept of light refraction and leave them, excited, curious and ready to learn more.

Light Refraction Experiment #1 – Magical Disappearing Art

Give each child a small piece of paper and some markers and ask them to draw you a simple picture. Ask them to make it colorful. Once the picture is ready slip it inside a zip top bag and then use a permanent marker to trace the outline of the picture.

Fill a glass bowl or pitcher with water and slip the bag into the water.

Watch the kids faces when their colorful picture disappears. The light bending through the water makes the color seemingly disappear!

Slowly pull the bag back out of the water and watch the picture reappear.

Another way to really watch refraction is to draw two arrows one on top of the other on a piece of paper. Then pass that paper behind a jar filled with water. Make sure one arrow is above the water level and one is below. As the arrow passes behind the water it will flip directions. That is because the water is bending the light and how you see it! Amazing!!

Science is so cool!!!

Light Refraction Experiment #2 – Making Rainbows

You can make rainbows at home or in school with just a couple of different materials. You will need a flashlight, an old CD or DVD, and a large sheet of white paper or a white wall.

Place the paper upright and have the kids put the CD on a flat surface perpendicular to the paper. Now shine a flashlight onto the CD.

The mirrored surface of the CD combined with the thin plastic coating they put over it for protection act light water droplets and reflect a rainbow onto the paper.

If you don’t have any CDs or DVDs you can get the same effect with a dish of water and a small mirror with the flashlight. Again, set up the paper, slip the mirror into the water and lean it against the edge of the container and then shine a flashlight at the mirror. The water and mirror react with the light to form a rainbow.

Ready for more Rainbow Science and Activities? We have even more for you to explore. Which is perfect, because your kids are going to be asking for more rainbows after this!

I love hands on experiments that really drive home a concept. Light refraction sounds complicated but they will never forget how cool it is! Now – go chase some rainbows!