A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that occurs when sunlight is refracted, or bent, by water droplets in the atmosphere. The result is a multicolored arc of light that appears in the sky, often following a rain shower or thunderstorm. Rainbows typically appear in the opposite direction of the sun, and the colors of a rainbow, from outermost to innermost, are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The acronym ROYGBIV is often used to remember the order of the colors. The colors of a rainbow are the result of different wavelengths of light being refracted at slightly different angles, causing them to separate and create the distinctive band of colors.
Rainbows are formed when light is refracted, or bent, as it passes through water droplets in the air. Here's how it works:
Sunlight contains all the colors of the visible spectrum - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
When sunlight enters a water droplet, it slows down and bends, or refracts, because the speed of light is slower in water than in air.
As the light refracts, it separates into its different colors. This process is called dispersion.
The separated colors then reflect off the back of the water droplet, and refract again as they exit the droplet.
The refracted light then enters our eyes, and we see a circular arc of colors in the sky - a rainbow.
Some key factors that affect the formation of rainbows include the angle of the sun relative to the observer, the size and shape of the water droplets, and the distance between the observer and the rain shower. Rainbows can also be seen when sunlight is reflected off of other reflective surfaces, such as mist or spray from a waterfall or fountain.
Rainbow is caused by Total internal reflection, refraction and dispersion of light by the water particles present in the atmosphere. The red colour in rainbow seen at an angle of 42.8° and that of violet is at 40.8°. Colour at the centre of rainbow is Green. When we look from the outer space rainbow is seen as a circle. But when we look from the earth, rainbow is seen as semicircle.
 The shape of a rainbow is a semicircle or an arc. The arc is formed by the refraction and reflection of sunlight by water droplets in the air. When the light enters the water droplet, it is refracted, or bent, and then reflected off the inner surface of the droplet. The light then exits the droplet and is refracted again, causing the different colors of light to spread out and form the distinctive arc shape of the rainbow. The center of the arc appears to be at the opposite point of the sky from the sun, and the rainbow can sometimes appear to be a complete circle if viewed from above, such as from an airplane.
The discovery of the colors of the rainbow, including the colors represented by the acronym Vibgyor, is not attributed to a single individual. The seven colors of the rainbow have been recognized and studied for thousands of years, dating back to ancient civilizations such as the Greeks and the Chinese.
However, the modern understanding of the colors of the rainbow and the development of the acronym Vibgyor is often attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, the English physicist and mathematician who is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists in history. In the late 1660s, Newton conducted experiments with prisms and showed that white light could be separated into its component colors, which he identified as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. He arranged the colors in the order of their wavelengths, with red having the longest wavelength and violet the shortest. This order is now commonly remembered by the acronym Vibgyor.
Vibgyor is an acronym used to remember the colors of the rainbow. Each letter of the word represents the first letter of one of the seven colors of the rainbow, in order of their wavelengths. The colors and their corresponding letters are:
V - Violet
I - Indigo
B - Blue
G - Green
Y - Yellow
O - Orange
R - Red
The acronym is commonly used in education and science to help people remember the colors of the rainbow and their order. However, it's important to note that the colors of the rainbow are a continuous spectrum, and there is no clear boundary between each color. The division into seven colors and their order is a human perception based on cultural and scientific conventions, and other cultures may perceive and name the colors of the rainbow differently.

Total Internal Reflection


• The total internal reflection principle finds its application in the construction of optical fibers, endoscopy, vehicle reflectors, binoculars etc.

Dispersion

• The splitting of composite beam of light into its constituent colours is called Dispersion of light.
• it was discovered by Sir Isaac Newton.
• Devices used for the splitting of composite beam of white light into its constituent colours - Prism

Refraction


• Refraction is the bending of light when a eay of light travels from one medium to another. 
• Due to change of medium , the phase velocity of the wave is changed but its frequency remains constant. 
• Snell's law is related with refraction.
• Device which works by the principle of reflection and refraction - Periscope
• The measure of optical density of the medium is Refractive index.
 
Refractive index of a medium
      = Speed of light in vacuum/ Speed of light in medium
• A diamond sparkles due to toral Internal reflection because it has a high refractive index.
• Optical fibres are light pipes which carries optical energy from one part to another without any loss in energy.
• Working principles of optical fiber- Total Internal Reflection
• Indian physicist who invented optical fibre - Narinder Singh Kapany
• Working principle of automotive rain sensors
- Total internal reflection