Can rainbows be considered to have mathematical patterns?

Question

Of course it is evident that there is physics and mathematics involved in a rainbow, but my question is (as the title suggests) are there patterns to be found in rainbows? By patterns I mean mathematical patterns that can be modeled through something like a sequence or a series. Maybe the light particle motions can be? Just curious because I'm trying to find natural occurrences that can be modeled through mathematical patterns like the golden rectangle/triangle/ratio/etc.

Answer 1

In a sense there must be patterns to be found in rainbows, because they can be described mathematically and math is all about patterns. However, the mathematics of rainbows is quite complex, and if you are looking for patterns that are simple and elegant, then probably the best example of such to be found in a rainbow is the pattern we see. That is, the rainbow itself: how the color of light varies as a function of the angle between the sun, the raindrop, and the observer.

On the other hand, I'd guess that rainbows don't contain the kind of pattern which, being seen in a special, clever way, becomes more simple and elegant than it seemed on the surface. If they do, then the people at Physics.SE might be more likely to know about it.