An Introduction to 'Rainbow Scattering'

Professor Syshchenko shared his knowledge about the scattering of light, by describing rainbows, among the most beautiful of natural phenomena, saying,

“Everyone can see a rainbow, but few people can clearly explain the reason for its appearance. Some can't even say with certainty whether the sun is shining in their face or from behind their back when viewing a rainbow.”

In his lecture, Professor Syshchenko described how a rainbow is formed and how rainbow scattering turns up in different areas of physics. He noted that theories about rainbows are often absent even in very thorough optics textbooks, and advised on the literature necessary for deeper study on this issue. He recommended his own work, 'The Theory of Scattering for Beginners', to students and all those who are interested in iridescent scattering.

The lecture drew a great deal of interest. On 'Vkontakte', the social networking site, there were over six thousand views, and this number grows by the day. The lecture is also available to view on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, which sponsors these on-line lectures.

This is the sixth educational broadcast from BSNRU this academic year. It was conducted in the Media Centre, and you can view the recording at vk.com/strimirr or on YouTube at www.youtube.com/channel/UCKYnE46b_3QpybR88dhucDw/videos