Welcome to the CD rainbow discovery experiment. When we shine white light onto a compact disc surface, something magical happens. The light splits into beautiful rainbow colors, creating a spectacular display of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple light rays.
The secret behind the rainbow effect lies in light diffraction. A CD surface contains thousands of microscopic grooves that act like a diffraction grating. When white light hits these tiny tracks, each wavelength of light bends at a slightly different angle, separating the colors and creating the beautiful rainbow pattern we observe.
Now let's perform the experiment step by step. First, hold a CD firmly in your hand. Next, shine a flashlight or laser pointer at an angle onto the CD surface. Finally, look at a nearby white wall or screen to observe the beautiful rainbow colors that appear. The angle of the light and your viewing position will affect the intensity and clarity of the rainbow pattern.
The science behind the rainbow colors involves the wave nature of light. Each color corresponds to a different wavelength - red light has the longest wavelength at about 700 nanometers, while violet has the shortest at around 420 nanometers. When these waves interact with the microscopic grooves on the CD, they undergo constructive and destructive interference, which separates the colors and creates the spectacular rainbow effect we observe.