Tag: scattering of light and its applications

The short-wavelength blue and violet are scattered by molecules in the air much more than other colors of the spectrum because of which blue and violet light reaches our eyes from all directions.

True. This is the reason we can see things around us in Earth's atmosphere.  

The scattering of light depends on the size of the dust particles and the wavelength of the light. The amount of scattering is inversely proportional to the fourth power of wavelength.
Since, violet and blue lights get scattered more than lights of all other colours by the atmosphere the sky appears blue.

During sunrise and sunset the sun rays have to pass through a larger distance and also a greater thickness of air since it is low in the sky. At these positions, the sky looks orange-red colour because photons of red and orange light are least scattered through the atmosphere and are able to reach our eyes.

We see red colour of the sun at sunrise or sunset as the sun at horizon and light rays need to travel a greater distance. In the process of scattering, violet, blue and green rays in the original sunlight are removed and the transmitted beam has yellow and red dominant.

Red light is used as danger signal because it is having high wavelength, less scattering ,hence can travel larger distances.

Blue light is scattered the most. Hence, as sunlight travels the earth, most of the blue colour is scattered and hence spread. This causes the sky to appear blue in the day.

Raman effect is an example of incoherent scattering of light, as it is specific to the molecule which cause it.