Blue Sky and Rainbows Multiple Choice Questions

Name: ____________________________________ Date: _______ Blue Sky and Rainbows Multiple Choice Questions Circle the correct answer. 1. When Earth is viewed from space it appears a. Red b. Yellow c. Blue d. Green 2. What colors have the shortest wavelengths? a. Shades of blue and purple b. Shades of green c. Shades of red d. Shades of orange 3. Visible light a. Can be seen by the human eye b. Is in the range 400 to 700 nanometers c. Is the source of the color spectrum d. All of the above 4. The sky appears blue because light interacts with a. Water droplets in the atmosphere b. Molecules of gases in the atmosphere c. The parts of outer space that humans see d. All of the above 5. A rainbow produces the color spectrum similar to a a. Microscope b. Telescope c. Prism d. All of the above 6. When someone sees a rainbow a. The arc is always the same for every rainbow b. The sun is behind them c. Both a. and b. above d. None of the above Name: _______________________________ Date: ________ Blue Sky and Rainbows Short Answer Questions 1. Why does the human eye “ignore” the small amount of wavelength corresponding to purple in the sky? The human eye has special cells (cones) that are dedicated to seeing blue wavelength, so the purple isn't detected as easily, so it is ignored. 2. Why would the color of the sky be a mystery that needs to be explained? If we can explain why the sky is blue, it can also help to understand other properties of light and how we understand the concept of colour. 3. Why are wavelengths corresponding to the colors blue and violet scattered the most by gaseous particles in the atmosphere? The amount of light that is scattered is related to the sized of the particle compared to the wavelength of light falling on the particle. Blue and violet have the shortest wavelengths, so they are scattered the most. 4. Would you like to see Earth as the Blue Planet from space yourself? Explain why or why not. What's your answer? Explain it well. 5. Why is a rainbow seen in the sky only after it rains? Because the water droplets act as a 'prism' bending and breaking apart all the colours of the white light from the sun. Each colour bends a different amount. 6. Why does a rainbow have all the colors of the spectrum when light passing through the atmosphere gives a blue sky? Because of the way the light interacts with the molecules in the air, there is more of the blue wavelength than any other. 7. There’s an Irish legend about leprechauns hiding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Do some research and find out where the end of the rainbow really is. So where is it? Check it out... www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-QahoGMrky