Rainbow colors in order - why are they like that? What are the colors of the rainbow and how many are there really? The correct sequence of the colors of the rainbow

After the rain, both adults and children peer into the sky: what if a rainbow appears? People of all ages admire this with trepidation and joy. an unusual phenomenon- bright stripes of 7 colors, stretching over the entire sky along the entire horizon. In the old old times people believed that the rainbow appears by God's will, as proof of its existence. Children think that the stripes in the sky appear out of nowhere, as if in a fairy tale. But adult readers of the portal know for sure that the appearance of a rainbow is explained by the physical laws of nature and this is just an optical illusion.

How does a rainbow appear?

Physicists, observing the refraction of light in drops of water, with mathematical precision derived equations that reveal the mechanism of formation of this natural phenomenon. Knowledge of optical laws made it possible to prove that for the appearance of a rainbow, it is important not only the presence of rainwater drops and then the appearance of the sun, standing low above the horizon, but also the position of the observer with his back to the star.

rainbow colors in right order. Drawing by Vasilisa Batmanova, 8 years old, specially for

The stream of sunlight, reaching the surface of the water, refracts and splits the white rays of the sun into a color spectrum, and it consists of 7 primary colors. Red, orange, yellow are warm shades, green is borderline, and blue, blue, purple are cold. This is the order in which the rainbow colors are arranged.

In this case, red is external, and purple is internal. Often the rainbow is depicted in reverse order, but this is not true. Although, the reverse order of colors is also possible - in a doubler rainbow, which is discussed below.

When it rains, a ray of the sun illuminates the raindrop and penetrates into it, refracting into the colors of the spectrum. The wall of a water drop has a dense structure, reaching which the light flux is reflected in the opposite direction. This causes even more refraction. A stream of the rainbow spectrum breaks out from the point of penetration of the sun's ray. Since the observer stands with his back to the shining Sun, and facing the rain, he sees refracted sunlight reflected by billions of drops of rainwater.

The colors of the rainbow in reverse order, characteristic of the "second" rainbow. Drawing by Margosha Batmanova, 6 years old, specially for

Sometimes in the sky you can see not one, but two rainbows at the same time. Moreover, the second is not so bright or barely visible in the sky. Her colors also consist of 7 shades, but are arranged in an inverted state: from purple to red. The appearance of a "double" is easily explained from the point of view of optics: light rays are reflected in a drop of water again - and this is where a doubling rainbow appears.

A person is always interested in natural phenomena that are visible, but they cannot be touched: fog, evaporation of moisture, a rainbow. They seem to be a manifestation of a miracle, something unusual, of divine origin, but in fact their occurrence is proved by science.

What is a rainbow?

The rainbow is an amazing and incredibly beautiful meteorological and optical a natural phenomenon. It can be observed mainly after the rain, when the sun comes out. It is this that is the reason that we can see this wonderful phenomenon in the sky, as well as distinguish the colors of the rainbow, arranged in order.

A rainbow appears due to the fact that light coming from the sun or from another source is refracted in water droplets that slowly fall to the ground. With their help White light"breaks", forming the colors of the rainbow. They are arranged in order due to different degrees of light deflection (for example, red light is deflected by fewer degrees than violet). Moreover, a rainbow can also appear due to moonlight, but it is very difficult for our eyes to distinguish it in low light. When forming a circle, which is formed by the "celestial bridge", the center is always on a straight line passing through the Sun or the Moon. For those who observe this phenomenon from the ground, this "bridge" appears as an arc. But the higher the viewpoint, the fuller the rainbow is seen. If you observe it from a mountain or from the air, it can appear before your eyes in the form of a whole circle.

The order of the colors of the rainbow

Many people know a phrase that allows you to remember the order in which the colors of the rainbow are located. For those who don’t know or don’t remember, let’s recall how this line sounds: “Every Hunter Wants to Know Where the Pheasant Sits” (by the way, now there are many analogues of this famous monostikha, more modern, and sometimes very funny). The colors of the rainbow, in order, are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

These colors do not change their location, imprinting in memory the eternal view of such an incredibly beautiful phenomenon. The rainbow we often see is the primary one. During its formation, white light undergoes only one internal reflection. In this case, the red light is outside, as we are used to seeing. However, a secondary rainbow can also form. This is a rather rare phenomenon in which white light is reflected twice in the droplets. In this case, the colors of the rainbow are already in order in the opposite direction (from purple to red). In this case, the part of the sky that is between these two arcs becomes darker. In places with very clean air, even a "triple" rainbow can be observed.

Fancy rainbows

In addition to the familiar arc-shaped rainbow, you can observe its other forms. For example, one can observe lunar rainbows (but it is difficult for the human eye to catch them, for this the glow from the moon must be very bright), foggy, annular (these phenomena have already been mentioned above) and even inverted. In addition, the rainbow can be observed in winter. At this time of the year, it sometimes occurs due to severe frosts. But some of these phenomena have nothing to do with "heavenly bridges". Very often, halo phenomena are mistaken for a rainbow (this is the name of a luminous ring that forms around a certain object).

We didn’t even think that we would ever return to this topic, namely, how many colors does the rainbow have?

It all started with the most famous memo about the fact that "Every hunter wants to know where the pheasant is sitting."

We then collected a whole collection different options this memo - and about the hunter, and for programmers, and Belarusian, and Ukrainian, and many others. There are so many of them that we even opened them in our "Encyclopedia"

And then it turned out that not all peoples have 7 colors in the rainbow. Some have six, in particular in America, and there are those who have only 4. In general, the question is not at all simple, as it might seem at first glance

And as often happens on the vast expanses of the Internet, there was an article on this topic. It was written so interesting that we could not resist and decided to republish it at home so that our readers could also get acquainted with it.

How many colors does the rainbow drink

…when you see a rainbow, don’t separate yourself from it

when you see beautiful sunset, become it

it's the mind that divides

in fact, the stars dotted across the sky

are within us and we are within them

there is no separation

there is no border...

The phrase "every hunter wants to know where the pheasant sits" has been known to everyone since childhood. This mnemonic device, the so-called acrophonic memorization method, is designed to memorize the sequence of colors of the rainbow. Here, each word of the phrase begins with the same letter as the color name: each = red, hunter = orange, and so on. In the same way, those who were at first confused about the sequence of colors of the Russian flag realized that the abbreviation KGB (from bottom to top) was suitable for its description and did not confuse it anymore.

Such mnemonics are assimilated by the brain rather at the level of the so-called "conditioning", and not just learning. Considering that people, like all other animals, are terrible conservatives, then any information hammered into the head from childhood is very difficult for many to change or even simply blocked from a critical approach. For example, Russian children know from school that there are seven colors in the rainbow. This is jagged, familiar, and many sincerely wonder how it happens that in some countries the number of colors of the rainbow can be completely different. But the seemingly undoubted statements “there are seven colors in the rainbow”, as well as “24 hours in a day” are only products of human imagination, which have nothing to do with nature. One of those cases when arbitrary fiction becomes "reality" for many.

The rainbow has always been seen differently in different periods history and in different nations. It distinguished three primary colors, and four, and five, and as many as you like. Aristotle singled out only three colors: red, green, purple. The Australian Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent was six-colored. In the Congo, the rainbow is represented by six snakes - according to the number of colors. Some African tribes They see only two colors in the rainbow - dark and light.

So where did the infamous seven colors in the rainbow come from? This is just the rare case when the source is known to us. Although the phenomenon of the rainbow was explained by refraction sun rays in raindrops back in 1267, Roger Bacon, but only Newton thought of analyzing the light and, refracting a beam of light through a prism, first counted five colors: red, yellow, green, blue, violet (he called it purple). Then the scientist looked closely and saw six flowers. But the believing Newton did not like the number six. Nothing but a demonic delusion. And the scientist "looked out" another color. The number seven suited him: the number is ancient and mystical - there are seven days of the week, and seven deadly sins. The seventh color Newton fancied indigo. So Newton became the father of the seven-color rainbow. True, at that time not everyone liked his very idea of ​​the white spectrum, as a set of colors. Even the eminent German poet Goethe was indignant, calling Newton's statement "a monstrous assumption." After all, it cannot be that the most transparent, purest white color turned out to be a mixture of “dirty” colored rays! Nevertheless, over time, I had to admit the correctness of the scientist.

The division of the spectrum into seven colors took root, and in English language the next memo appeared - Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain (In - for blue indigo). And over time, they forgot about indigo and there were six colors. So, in the words of J. Baudrillard (albeit said on a completely different occasion), “the model has become the primary reality, hyperreality, turning the whole world into Disneyland.”

Now our "Magic Disneyland" is very diverse. Russians will argue until they are hoarse about the seven-color rainbow. American children are taught the six primary colors of the rainbow. English (German, French, Japanese) too. But it's still more difficult. In addition to the difference in the number of colors, there is another problem - the colors are not the same. The Japanese, like the British, are sure that there are six colors in the rainbow. And they will be happy to name them for you: red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo and violet. Where did the green go? Nowhere, it's in Japanese simply no. The Japanese, rewriting Chinese characters, lost the green character (Chinese has it). Now in Japan there is no green color, which leads to funny incidents. Russian specialist, who works in Japan, complained about how he once had to look for a blue (aoi) folder on his desk for a long time. In a conspicuous place lay only green. Which the Japanese see is blue. And not because they are color blind, but because there is no such color as green in their language. That is, it seems to be there, but it is a shade of blue, like we have scarlet - a shade of red. Now, under external influence, there is, of course, a green color (midori) - but from their point of view, this is such a shade of blue (aoi). That is not the main color. So they get blue cucumbers, blue folders and blue traffic lights.

The British will agree with the Japanese on the number of flowers, but not on the composition. The English in the language (and in other Romance languages) do not blue color. And if there is no word, then there is no color. Of course, they are also not color blind, and they distinguish blue from blue, but for them it is just “light blue” - that is, not the main one. So the Englishman would have looked for the mentioned folder even longer.

Thus, the perception of colors depends only on a particular culture. And thinking in a particular culture is highly dependent on language. The question of "colors of the rainbow" is not from the sphere of physics and biology. Linguistics and, even more broadly, philology should deal with it, since the colors of the rainbow depend only on the language of communication, there is nothing a priori physical behind them. The spectrum of light is continuous, and its arbitrarily selected areas (“colors”) can be called anything you like - with the words that are in the language. There are seven colors in the rainbow of the Slavic peoples only because there is a separate name for the color blue (compare with the British) and for green (compare with the Japanese).

But the problems of flowers do not end there, in life it is still more confusing. In the Kazakh language, for example, the rainbow has seven colors, but the colors themselves do not coincide with Russian ones. The color that is translated into Russian as blue is a mixture of blue and green in Kazakh perception, yellow is a mixture of yellow and green. That is, what is considered a mixture of colors by Russians is considered an independent color by Kazakhs. American orange is by no means our orange, and often more red (in our understanding). By the way, in the case of hair color, on the contrary, red is red. It is the same with the old languages ​​- L. Gumilyov wrote about the difficulties of identifying colors in Turkic texts with Russian ones, for example, “sary” - it can be both the color of gold and the color of leaves, because. occupies part of the "Russian yellow" range and part of the "Russian green".

Colors also change over time. In the Kiev Izbornik of 1073 it is written: “In the rainbow, properties are scarlet, and blue, and green, and crimson.” Then, as we see, in Russia four colors were distinguished in the rainbow. But what are these colors? Now we would understand them as red, blue, green and red. But it was not always so. For example, what we call white wine was called green wine in ancient times. Crimson could mean any dark color and even black. And the word red was not a color at all, but originally meant beauty, and in this sense it was preserved in the combination “red maiden”.

How many colors are in the rainbow really? This question is practically meaningless. The wavelengths of visible light (in the range of 400-700 nm) can be called whatever colors are convenient - they, the waves, are neither warm nor cold from this. In a real rainbow, of course, an infinite number of “colors” is a full spectrum, and you can select any number of “colors” from this spectrum (conventional colors, linguistic ones, those for which we can come up with words).

An even more correct answer would be: not at all, in nature, flowers do not exist at all - only our imagination creates the illusion of color. R.A. Wilson used to quote an old Zen koan on this subject: "Who is the Master who makes the grass green?" Buddhists have always understood this. The colors of the rainbow are created by the same Master. And he can create them in very different ways. As someone noted: “steelworkers distinguish a lot of shades in the transition from yellow to red ...”

The same Wilson also noted this moment: “Do you know that an orange is 'really' blue? It absorbs the blue light that passes through its skin. But we see an orange as "orange" because there is no orange light in it. The orange light reflects off its skin and hits the retina of our eyes. The "essence" of an orange is blue, but we don't see it; orange is orange in our brains and we see it. Who is the Master who makes an orange orange?”

Osho wrote about the same: “Each ray of light consists of seven colors of the rainbow. Your clothes are red for a strange reason. They are not red. Your garments absorb six colors from a beam of light - all but red. Red is reflected back. The remaining six are absorbed. Because red is reflected, it gets into other people's eyes, so they see your clothes as red. It's a very contradictory situation: your clothes are not red, that's why they appear red." Note that for Osho, the rainbow is seven-colored, although he already lived in "six-colored" America.

From point of view modern biology in a rainbow a person sees three colors, because a person perceives shades with three types of cells. Physiologically according to modern concepts healthy people must distinguish between three colors: red, green, blue (Red, Green, Blue - RGB). In addition to cells that respond only to brightness, some cones in the human eye respond selectively to wavelength. Biologists have identified three types of color-sensitive cells (cones) - the same RGB. Three colors are enough for us enough to create any shade. Rest infinite set various intermediate shades are completed by the brain, based on the ratios of the irritability of these three types of cells. Is this the final answer? Not really, this is also just a convenient model (In “reality”, the sensitivity of the eye to blue is significantly lower than to green and red).

Thais, like us, are taught at school that there are seven colors in the rainbow. The veneration of the number seven arose in ancient times due to the knowledge of mankind known to him then seven celestial bodies(moon, sun and five planets). Hence the seven-day week appeared in Babylon. Each day corresponded to its planet. This system was adopted by the Chinese and spread further. The number seven eventually became almost sacred, each day of the week had its own god. The Christian "six days" with an additional day off Sunday (in Russian, it was originally called "week" - from "not to do") spread throughout the world. So it is unlikely that Newton could have "discovered" another number of colors in the rainbow.

But in Everyday life The number of colors perceived by Thais depends on where they live. The city will soon have an official number - seven. But in the provinces it's different. Moreover, the colors of the rainbow can vary even in neighboring villages. For example, in some settlements in the northeast, there are two orange colors "catfish" and "sed". The second word means something like "more orange". As in the case, say, with the Chukchi, who have more different names for white color, since they have long distinguished shades white snow, the selection of a separate color by Thais is not accidental. In those places, a beautiful “dokjang” flower grows on trees, the color of which differs from the usual color of the “catfish” orange. You probably won't find this word in a dictionary. But you can hear about this flower in Thai songs in the Isan dialect:

"I really miss Isan, miss the flowers of the dokjang Tung Luilai"

"Forest Flame", "Forest Fire" - this is the name usually known for the "dokjang" flower of the "gray" color. And what color would we use in Russian when describing this flower?

Each person has his own favorite time of the year. Some people love spring, others love autumn. But everyone, without exception, is looking forward to summer. Vibrant emotions, vibrant colors, and vivid impressions. And so I want to keep them and extend them. I suggest using a proven method. Let's keep our mood in the interior, with the help of color. To do this, we will help summer rainbow. How? It's easy, we'll just transfer the colors to our walls. The number seven is a symbol of beauty. Seven notes, seven colors. And if you combine them with each other, we get an endless source for creativity and inspiration.

But today I would like to focus on the main "rainbow" colors. Yes, there are only seven. Do you remember them? What about their sequence? And let's remember together the mnemonic phrase: "Every Hunter Wants to Know Where the Pheasant Sits", where the first letter of each word is a kind of code for the color. Having guessed the password, we get a sequence of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue and purple. A smooth transition from one color to another forms many intermediate shades. Together, allowing us to create interesting color combinations and use this when combining colors and shades in the interior.

At the right combination color palette can achieve a colossal effect. And this applies not only to the combination of bright, dark, but also light and pastel colors. They can be combined with each other, playing with shades of the rainbow, or you can create a monochrome interior, emphasizing your sympathy for a certain color, creating a certain severity or mystery. But do not think that a monochrome interior is boring and mundane. On the contrary, monochrome allows a person to open up, and already by the color that prevails in the house, one can determine the character of its owner.

Let's try to walk on the rainbow and look ... at us from the side.

Red color in the interior will help create an explosive atmosphere in the room. It is suitable for self-confident people who go through life with a "proudly raised head" and are not afraid of looks from the outside. But consider one factor, if you are easily amenable to criticism and the opinions of others, then most likely, the red color in the interior is not your option. In addition, when perceiving red, a person spends a significant amount of his energy, and therefore you should not expect a charge from him. A self-sufficient color that sharply and jealously endures the environment of competitors. When using red in the interior, you should be careful, even the smallest detail can spoil the overall impression. The red color is truly insidious. And a huge number of shades and tones of red can "drive anyone crazy"...

The orange color is obtained by mixing iridescent red and yellow. Is it an independent color... or is it still a bright shade of yellow and red? We can safely say one thing, he took all the best from these flowers. Orange is a cheerful shade that fills you with energy and "vitamin C", better than a juicy orange! The orange color in the interior should be used in doses, following the rules of "reception", and then you are not afraid of any depression and Bad mood. A natural antidepressant that helps unleash inner talents and creativity. When using orange in the interior, you can naturally and naturally raise your self-esteem and get a charge of "explosive" energy without visiting expensive psychologists. But do not forget that the orange color is very spoiled and requires an appropriate environment. But with regular "use" you are not threatened by either a bad mood or low self-esteem. Remember that orange is synonymous with continuous movement and optimism!

Yellow is a symbol of warmth, joy and optimism. When using yellow in the interior, do not forget how to positive traits of this color, and about negative ones. Let's start with the good. Yellow in the interior contributes to the rapid perception of information, concentration of attention and the adoption of sometimes difficult decisions in short time. That's why yellow most often present in children's rooms and offices. But there is also reverse sides yellow. Strong and purposeful individuals who prefer yellow not only in the interior, but also in clothes, are often so passionate about their thoughts and ideas that they do not notice anyone around. Good or bad, it's up to you....

Green color appeared from the merger of yellow and blue flowers. Depending on which color prevails, the overall impression of the room is created. If there is a predominance of blue in green, then the atmosphere in the room will be "cool" and restrained. Add more yellow to green, and you will immediately feel harmony and lightness. Green is a symbol of safety and forward movement. A good example is green signal traffic light. As for the use of green in the interior, it has a beneficial effect on the psyche and promotes growth, development and a harmonious perception of reality. Green color can be "prescribed" to people suffering from claustrophobia, because the predominance of green in the interior contributes to proper relaxation and calm. This is especially true for monochrome interiors. Green is a symbol of nature, tranquility and growth, both career and personal.

Blue is a symbol of peace, tranquility and harmony. In the interior, the blue color will help you focus when making decisions or find harmony with yourself and the world around you. Also, the blue color is a symbol of aristocracy, it is not for nothing that there is an expression " blue blood". People who surround themselves blue color honest, decent and responsible, able to reason sensibly and make the right decisions, despite emotional condition. The blue color has taken the calmness of blue and the purity of white, filling your life with optimism and setting you to go boldly forward without looking back into your past. In addition, the blue color in the interior contributes to complete relaxation after a hard day and, despite all the fashion trends, it always looks relevant and fresh!

Blue colour- a symbol of heaven, eternity and kindness. The interior in blue color contributes to the stabilization of the energy background in the house, and perfectly replenishes the expended energy after a hard day. Depending on the depth of the color, it can affect the environment and others in different ways. If we talk about the classic blue color, then most often it is associated with such qualities of character as loyalty and constancy. The blue color in the interior will be an excellent backdrop for creative natures and people who are engaged in mental activity. The blue color creates a special energy and atmosphere, but do not forget that you should not overload the interior with blue. He supports well strong personalities, but can overwhelm the weaker ones.

In order not to fall into the blues and spleen, dilute this color with other shades, or use blue as a contrasting element in the decor.

And the last color in our rainbow is purple. The so-called "pheasant", the final color in the spectral rainbow. Purple is the most complex color. All shades from the lightest to deep and dark combine elegance, charm, but at the same time are shrouded in mysticism and mystery. Violet comes from the fusion of "explosive" red and "cold" blue. Depending on the concentration of blue or red colors, the violet color reaches the level of warmth. If the red color levels out over the blue, then the purple color in the interior will give a warm and cozy atmosphere filled with nobility and luxury. If blue is dominant, it will cancel out all the warmth of red and you will get a cooler and more restrained purple. Cold purple colors in the interior are a symbol of power, but nobility at the same time. And in addition to everything, I would like to say that there are no indifferent to the purple color. Either they love him or they don't. The purple color in the interior, regardless of the shades and its quantity, contributes to creative thinking, calmness, helping to focus and avoid rash acts. True purple is self-sufficient and treats the environment with "contempt", so when using purple in the interior, it is worth carefully choosing a companion for him.

When creating your interior, you should listen to your inner feelings, because at one or another period of life a person may not like his “favorite” color, and he cardinally changes not only his entire wardrobe, but also the interior. Why? It’s just that sometimes we need nourishment from other colors, and when we fill our “inner self”, we can calm down. So combine different colors in your interior energy balance was always normal.

Or be bolder and change the color of your "environment" according to your inner needs. Solid or combined, bright or neutral, the main thing is that you feel comfortable living in this interior. And lastly, I would like to add. If earlier a bright interior was a sign of "bad taste" and bad taste, today everything is completely opposite. Bright colors in the interior now - this is more a sign of an extraordinary personality, and a person who is not afraid to show his "inner self" to the environment. In addition, modern decor elements make it possible to embody perhaps even the most fantastic ideas.

Go ahead and let the magic of colors and rainbows never leave your home!

At what age should a child know colors?

At one and a half to two years old, the child already distinguishes colors visually well. Between two and three years When the child begins to speak, it makes sense to start learning the names of colors.

How to teach a child to distinguish colors?

simple and effective method- focus on colors in everyday life. While walking, playing, reading - pay attention to colors. Start with the most basic, avoiding shades. While playing with your child, note that the car is blue, the cube is yellow, the ball is red. Ask him to give you one or another object of a certain color. In a playful way, you can start looking for all the green objects in the room.

What will help you learn colors?

colorful cubes, Balloons, crayons, colored paper or cardboard, pencils, developing books. With older children (about 4 years old and older), you can paint coloring pages with felt-tip pens.

Anything else?

Take care of your child regularly. Gently correct his mistakes, celebrate his successes with praise. Be patient and success will not be long in coming.

Rainbow colors for kids

The rainbow is an incredibly beautiful natural phenomenon. It looks like a multi-colored arc made up of colors (from the outer edge: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). These are the seven colors that are usually distinguished in the rainbow in Russian culture. Below are illustrative pictures for teaching a child the main colors.

The order of the flowers is easy to remember with the help of a mnemonic phrase: " To every about hotnik and does h nat, G de With goes f azan. There are other options: To ak about once AND ak- h vonar G orodskoy With broke f onar. ( To ak O once AND en W vonar G tin FROM carried F onar)" and " To from about slu, and irafu, h aike G blue With sewed f ufayki." In these sentences, each first letter in a word denotes the initial letter of a color.

rainbow colors cards

A poem about colors

I'm in my grandmother's garden
I will find a lot of red:
It's a red raspberry
Nearby - red viburnum,
And ripened at the fence
Two handsome tomatoes.

orange apricot
It grew on a tree.
Growing up, mature
And I ate it.

These are yellow chickens.
Look, they're running somewhere.
It can be seen that mom is in the yard
I found a worm in the grass.

Here are the green frogs
And green grass.
On the swamp at the edge
Heard a friendly "qua-qua!".

In summer the sky above you
Blue-blue!
Bells underneath
Let's paint it blue.

Blue balloon over the track
Flies into the clouds.
Wave your hand to him:
- Goodbye! Bye!

Eggplant lies on the bed -
Purple barrel.
And inside the sweet plum
The worm settled.