SCIENCE INQUIRY INVESTIGATION BY KATELYN LAMPMAN

KEY QUESTION How and why do rainbows form?

TESTABLE KEY QUESTION Can you make a rainbow with household objects?

THE INVESTIGATION ( VIDEO )

THE INVESTIGATION ( PICTURES )

THE INVESTIGATION (PICTURES CONTINUED)

PROCEDURE 1.Gather materials which are; a small mirror that can fit in a glass, a clear glass, and a flashlight. 2.Put the small mirror into the clear glass. 3.Place the clear glass with the small mirror inside on a flat surface. 4.Go into a dark room with white walls. 5.Point your flashlight to the glass and the mirror. 6.Shift the flashlight continually pointing at the glass until you are able to see a rainbow.

DATA/RESULTS Was able to create a rainbow with the use of water, a clear glass, a mirror, and light. When I shined the flashlight towards the glass with the mirror and water inside in a dark room I was able to see a rainbow form. As I moved the flashlight but still pointed it towards the glass, the rainbow that was formed would move around as well. In a dark room I was able to see the rainbow better in contrast to when I performed the experiment in a more brightly lit room.

CONCLUSIONS The mirror and the water in the clear glass along with the flashlight (household materials) worked together to exude the principles of refraction and reflection which are the main principles seen when rainbows are formed. Refraction: The refraction was created by the use of the flashlight and the water/glass. When the white light of the flashlight (or the white light coming from the sun) was shined towards the water in the clear glass the light bent. When the white light bent the different colors that make the light beam separated into different colors (Merali, 2016). Reflection: The reflection was created by mirror and the flashlight. When the light hit the mirror it reflected back out of the water. The mirror reflected the white light that had been broken up (from the refraction which was caused by the water/glass) which was why a rainbow appeared (Merali 2016). Overall I was surprised how easy it was to find household materials that could be used to form a rainbow with the use of refraction and reflection.

REFERENCES Merali, Aliya. (2016). Create your own rainbow. American Physical Society. Retrieved from