The rainbow as a student project involving numerical calculations

Abstract

It is a challenge to find interesting and realistic projects where numerical methods can be used to enhance student understanding of physical phenomena. We present such a project in which a group of students used numerical methods to analyze the physics of the rainbow. The project is suitable for students in an undergraduate physics course on the basic principles of geometrical optics. The central part of this paper is written by a group of students, and the introduction and discussion are written by their teacher. In this way both the students' and teacher's perspectives on using numerical methods are presented.