@pictureus

- Dad... why are rainbows curved?
- Give me a couple of weeks to answer it

@3blue1brown

Just beautiful, happy to be able to help

@kusam7384

14:55 Burns the finger
"Ouch! This thing is a ffFFffffocal" 😁

@Hyun-JoongChung

I had the same question from my children.  This Veritasium video addressed the question so deeply and accurately.

@kornerguy

I’m an optometrist and this is probably the best animation/display on optics I’ve ever seen. I wish they taught in schools like this. Simply incredible work 👏

@Flurdaman

So another example of 42 being the fundamental answer to everything. Awesome video! As always

@koladeleben

The rate of Veritasium and Mentour Pilot Video drops these past couple of weeks and yet with top quality delivery literally is out of this world.

Edit: Wow.. 9k likes unbelievable

@shaoboguan5852

I happed to be wondering about the detailed mechanisms of rainbows, realizing what I was taught in school does not really explain it at a satisfactory level.  I reached a level of explanation that satisfies me, but I was not nearly at your depth of explanation.  This video is a piece of art!

Want to share a bit about what I find interesting.  The question that motivates me is: Where is the rainbow?
Technically rainbow is an optical phenomenon, so the problem is ill posed.  
Perceptually it seems at infinite distance judged by ocular disparity. This is because both eyes received the ray at the identical direction, giving us the illusion that it is very far way, as the farther the object is, the more similar the ray directions are for the two eyes.
However, it is not at infinite distance when judged by occlusion cues because it is not occluded by objects like mountains and buildings.
This inconsistency of distance cues between ocular disparity and occlusion adds a bit more fascination about this optical illusion.  

Again, thanks for this great video!

@BarYamin

Son: "Dad, why are rainbows curved?"
Derek: "You'll have to wait until I finish productionizing a 27m video in order to get to know the answer."

@humanteneleven

I’d never been satisfied with the simple “sunlight is scattered by water droplets” explanation as it felt like it left too many questions; this video has answered every one of those questions, succinctly and comprehensively. Incredibly well done!

@AalapShah12297

Your explanation was so good that at 18:45 when you said 'why is it brighter under a rainbow than above?', I already knew the answer, despite not even being aware of such a phenomenon 20 minutes ago. That's the hallmark of a great explanation.

@sharat1987

Thanks! Your videos are like rainbows in the vast internet sky, always a joy to witness. I eagerly wait for them to appear!

@asdfasdfadfasdf2979

Derek: "I must ponder my orb."

Slightly burned Derek: "Okay, done now."

@ANunes06

"Yoooo... what the heck is this tiny rainbow?"
2 years later
"I have discovered a way to detect and observe particles that were previously only theorized to exist."

Madlad.

@oliver2671

I am an optical engineer and at the end of one of our optics courses the prof gave us a 90 minute lecture on the topic of rainbows. It was incredible and convinced me to do something with light in my professional life. Your visual explanations gave birth to that what the prof taught us 15ish years ago. Thank you!

@gumbunch

This is seriously probably one of your best videos. So magically intriguing, extremely well-edited, finely scripted, and comprehensive. All the questions I had got answered like you read my mind! Amazing video, you never disappoint!

@dkf343

I work in optics and have two degrees in the field. I’ve heard explanations of the rainbow multiple times, whether in class or at conferences, and can say that this one is certainly one of the best: both because it deals with the maths both (relatively) comprehensively and intuitively, and (more importantly) it really speaks to the curious, awe stricken child in all of us very effectively. He even snuck in a (very) simplified explanation of light-matter interaction and refractive index just to make sense of the differing emergent angles for different wavelengths. Bravo!

@knpark2025

4:18 He said all other videos about the rainbow are oversimplifications, so to be true to his word, he asked 3B1B for permission to use the most detailed explanation for electromagnetic waves and refraction that I know of as his source. Absolute legends, both of you.👍

@Kylzee

almost brought tears to my eyes when you concluded with “and that, my son…” i think it’s beautiful that what fuelled you to make this video for the whole world to see is your quest to thoroughly answer question from your own child. thank you

@williamwu7264

I kept saying "Amazing" when watching this video. Such an interesting and entertaining knowledge to learn!