Chapter 4: Problem 51

What happens to white light when it passes through a prism?

Short Answer

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Answer: When white light passes through a prism, it gets refracted, and dispersion occurs. This process separates the white light into its constituent colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (ROYGBIV). The degree of refraction depends on each color's wavelength, with shorter wavelengths bending more than longer ones. The outcome is a continuous spectrum of colors, where colors merge seamlessly without distinct borders.

Step by step solution

Understanding White Light

White light is a combination of multiple colors, also known as a spectrum of colors. These colors include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (collectively known as ROYGBIV). Each color of light has a different wavelength, with red having the longest wavelength and violet having the shortest.

Dispersion of Light in a Prism

When white light enters a prism, it gets bent or refracted due to a change in the speed of light as it passes from one medium (air) to another (prism, usually made of glass). Dispersion is the process by which white light is separated into its individual colors when passing through a prism.

Refraction and Wavelength Dependence

The degree to which light bends or refracts depends on its wavelength. Shorter wavelengths (blue, indigo, and violet) refract more than longer wavelengths (red, orange, and yellow). This difference in refraction causes the colors in the white light to spread out and form a spectrum.

Observing the Color Spectrum

When white light passes through a prism, it emerges as a spectrum of colors (ROYGBIV) in the following order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. This pattern of colors is called a continuous spectrum because the colors merge seamlessly into one another, with no gaps or distinct borders between them.

Reversing the Process

If you pass the separated colors of light through a second prism arranged in the opposite direction, the process of dispersion can be reversed. This means that the individual colors will combine again to form white light. This demonstrates that white light is indeed a combination of multiple colors.

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What happens to white light when it passes through a prism?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Understanding White Light

Dispersion of Light in a Prism

Refraction and Wavelength Dependence

Observing the Color Spectrum

Reversing the Process

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