INSIGHT UPSC QUIZ

Science & Technology General Science
Q.

The ‘scattering of light’ is responsible for which of the following phenomena in nature?

1. Tyndall effect.

2. Colour of water in deep sea.

3. Blue colour of the sky.

4. Rainbow formation.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Explanation:

ANSWER: (B) 

  • The earth’s atmosphere is a heterogeneous mixture of minute particles. These particles include smoke, tiny water droplets, suspended particles of dust and molecules of air. 
  • When a beam of light strikes such fine particles, the path of the beam becomes visible. The phenomenon of scattering of light by the colloidal particles gives rise to Tyndall effect. This phenomenon is seen when a fine beam of sunlight enters a smoke-filled room through a small hole. Thus, scattering of light makes the particles visible. 
  • Tyndall effect can also be observed when sunlight passes through a canopy of a dense forest. Here, tiny water droplets in the mist scatter light.
  • The blue colour of the sky, colour of water in deep sea, the reddening of the sun at sunrise and the sunset are some of the phenomena caused due to the ‘scattering of light.’
  • A rainbow is a natural spectrum appearing in the sky after a rain shower. It is caused by dispersion of sunlight by tiny water droplets, present in the atmosphere.

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