CONTENTS S U D D E N LY A R A I N B O W W H AT I S C O L O R T R AV E L I N G L I G H T R A D I AT I N G WAV E S WHITE LIGHT S E PA R AT I N G C O L O R S SEEING COLOR W H AT S I T S C O L O R C O L O R A N D H E AT P I X E L S A N D PA I N T S PIXEL PERFECT N AT U R E S C O L O R WAT E R R A I N B O W GLOSSARY WEBSITES INDEX 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 31 32
O I N S U D D E N LY A RAINBOW T C U D O R T N I Heavy rain drips slowly to a stop The storm is over and the air is heavy with water Behind you dark clouds part to reveal gleaming beams of sunlight Suddenly a stack of red orange yellow green blue indigo and violet arches across the sky 4
The rainbow seems to appear out of nowhere But its colors are split from the sun’s white light Mixed into the stormy sky are water droplets Each droplet acts as a tiny prism Sunlight enters a droplet The light appears white but it actually contains seven colors combined Light is always moving but it slows down in water and bends It bounces off the other side of the droplet The light’s colors separate as it bends again A rainbow exits the droplet
