Question

A parallel beam of light containing orange (610 nm) and violet (410 nm) wavelengths goes from fused quartz to water, striking the surface between them at a 60.0º incident angle. What is the angle between the two colors in water?

a) 42.0º
b) 31.2º
c) 50.7º
d) 60.0º

Answer 1

The angle between the orange and violet light in water is 50.7º.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the angle between the two colors in water, we can use the concept of refraction. The angle at which light is refracted when it moves from one medium to another can be determined using Snell's law:

n1 * sin(angle1) = n2 * sin(angle2)

In this case, orange light has a wavelength of 610 nm and violet light has a wavelength of 410 nm. Since violet light has a smaller wavelength than orange light, it will be refracted more. This means that the angle between the two colors in water will be greater than 60 degrees. The correct answer is (c) 50.7º.