Question

Which of the following statements is/are true in case of a rainbow?
(The question has multiple correct options)
A) In the morning a rainbow can be seen in the east
B) In the morning a rainbow can be seen in the west
C) In the evening a rainbow can be seen in the east
D) In the evening a rainbow can be seen in the west

Answer 1

Hint: Before discussing the location of a rainbow, let’s brush up on how rainbows are formed. Rainbows are observed when the different wavelengths of light present in the visible white light are dispersed by the water droplets in the atmosphere. The water droplets in this case act like little prisms that facilitate dispersion.

Complete step by step solution:
A rainbow is not a physical entity but an optical phenomenon. The two important conditions to observe a rainbow are that the sun must be behind you and there should be no clouds covering the sun.
From the above statement, we can deduce that the rainbow is formed opposite to the position of the sun, as the sun must be behind us to see a rainbow in front. We can apply the same concept to the phenomenon of sunrise and sunset.

We all know that the sun rises from the east and sets in the west. This implies that in the morning when the sun is rising from the east, the rainbow must be observed in the west. Similarly, in the evening when the sun is setting in the west, the rainbow must be observed in the east.

Now if we look at the options, we can say that options (B) and (C) would be the correct answers.

Note: The rainbow is known as a ‘rainbow’ because it has a bow shape or a semi-circular arc shape. Although the rainbow forms a complete circle, only half of it is visible to people on the ground. If you are travelling by aeroplane, you can observe the complete ring of the rainbow. Sometimes the light ray suffers double dispersion through droplets and a double rainbow is formed.