"Rainbows...the Mythology and the Magic"
             A rainbow can be classified as an extraordinary and attractive natural phenomenon that has fascinated humans throughout the ages. There have been numerous observations of rainbows and many different definitions passed out through the cultures. Descriptions such as " A rainbow is seven colors in the sky. It is a phenomenon which makes its appearance when it is raining at the same time when the sun is shining." (Irwin, 32) have been transmitted verbally through cultures. There are many different aspects to a rainbow; from the technical issues such as the refraction of light, to the mythology which includes the Irish stories of leprechauns. All of these combine to make the rainbow one of the most significantly symbolic shapes of the ages.
             The science behind the rainbow is very simple. A rainbow is simply an arc of concentric colored bands that develops when sunlight interacts with raindrops. Sunlight is refracted as it enters a raindrop, which causes the different wavelengths of visible light to separate. Longer wavelengths of light such as red are bent the least while shorter wavelengths of violet and blue are bent the most. ( Parkhurst, 58)
             Much can also be said about the angles of the sun as it hits the different raindrops. If the angle between the refracted light and the normal (which forms a perpendicular angle to the surface) if the drop of the surface is greater then the critical angle, about 48 degrees, then the light will reflect off the back of the raindrop. If the angle is smaller then 48 degrees then the light will simply pass on through. The reflected light is refracted as it exits the raindrop. This means that the light does not exit at the same angle as it entered. Violet light, which bends the most, emerges at an angle of 40 degrees relative to the incoming sunlight while red light, which bends the least, exits the drop at an angle of 42 degrees. The other 5 colors, o...