light

What is light?
Light is a form of energy which our sense of sight can detect. It is made of electro-magnetic radiation and travels in a straight path.

What is the speed of light?
The speed of light is the speed at which light travels. It is about 300,000 kilometers per second. Nothing travels faster than light.

Why are there different colors of light?
There are different colors of light because they are light waves which have different wavelengths. Red light has the longest wavelength while violet light has the shortest wavelength.

What are the primary colors of light?
Red, green and blue are the primary colors of light. Mixing them in various ways will make all other colors, including white.

What is reflection?
The bouncing back of light waves when they hit an object with a very smooth and shiny surface, like a mirror, is called reflection.

What is refraction?
The bending of light as it passes from one transparent substance to another, like air to water, is called refraction.

What makes a rainbow?
When sunlight is intercepted by a drop of water in the atmosphere, some of the light refracts into the drop, reflects from the drop's inner surface, and then refracts out of the drop. The first refraction separates the sunlight into its component colors, and the second refraction increases the separation. The result is a rainbow.