Question

Rainbow is formed due to:

• A. total internal reflection
• B. scattering
• C. refraction
• D. dispersion and total internal reflection

Answer 1

The correct option is D dispersion and total internal reflection

Tiny droplets of water, due to very less mass, gets suspended in the atmosphere and acts as a good optical medium. The sunlight, when changes medium, undergoes total internal reflection through these droplets thereby splitting in its component colours (since wavelength of each colour is different) and hence results in rainbow formation. Thus dispersion and total internal reflection together results in rainbow formation.