Which color in the rainbow has the shortest wavelength? Multiple Choice Orange Red Yellow Blue
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer: Blue
Explanation
The rainbow is a spectrum of colors that appear in a specific order due to the dispersion of light. When sunlight passes through raindrops in the atmosphere, it is both refracted and reflected. This process separates the light into its component colors, which we see as a rainbow. The order of colors is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Among the given options — orange, red, yellow, and blue — blue has the shortest wavelength. Wavelength refers to the distance between successive peaks of a wave. In the visible spectrum, different colors correspond to different wavelengths. Red light has the longest wavelength, ranging from about 620 to 750 nanometers. Orange follows, with wavelengths around 590 to 620 nanometers. Yellow comes next, around 570 to 590 nanometers. Blue light has wavelengths between approximately 450 to 495 nanometers, making it shorter than red, orange, or yellow.
Shorter wavelengths mean that the light has higher energy. This is why blue and violet light are more energetic compared to red or yellow light. Because of their higher energy and shorter wavelength, blue and violet light are refracted more when passing through water droplets. That is why blue appears lower in the arc of a rainbow compared to red, which bends the least and appears on the top.
Although violet technically has the shortest wavelength in the entire visible spectrum, it is not one of the options provided in the question. Therefore, among the choices listed, blue is the correct answer. Understanding the relationship between color and wavelength is essential in fields such as physics, optics, and even art and design, as it explains how we perceive light and how different colors interact with materials and the environment.
