Tips
This works best when it’s dark out.
Set up in the kitchen or bathroom where you can work near a sink.
What You’ll Need
Hand mirror
Pan or shallow bowl
Water
Dark room
Small flashlight or cell phone with light
Masking tape (optional)
This works best when it’s dark out.
Set up in the kitchen or bathroom where you can work near a sink.
Hand mirror
Pan or shallow bowl
Water
Dark room
Small flashlight or cell phone with light
Masking tape (optional)
1. Put the mirror into the pan or bowl, mirror-side up. Make sure the mirror is leaning at a slight angle.
2. Pour water into the bowl until it is a little more than halfway up the mirror.
3. Place the bowl in a dark room. Shine the flashlight on the part of the mirror that is underwater. Move the flashlight around until you see a rainbow on the wall or ceiling.
4. If you see only white light on the wall, adjust the angle of the mirror. Make sure the angle is more flat than steep. Tape the mirror in place if you need to. You can also add or take away water or try different mirrors and flashlights.
White light is a mix of seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. When light passes from air into water, the light bends. But each color in light bends a little differently from the others, so the colors separate.
The phrase ROY G. BIV can help you remember the order of the colors in the rainbow
(R for Red, O for Orange, Y for Yellow, etc.).
Put a glass of water on a sheet of white paper. Shine a flashlight through the glass to make a rainbow on the paper.
Spray water from a garden hose on a sunny day using the mist setting. Look for a rainbow in the mist.