Question

A glass prism can be used to show the dispersion of white light to form a spectrum.

a.Draw a diagram to show how a ray of white light is dispersed as it passes through a prism.

b.Which colour of light is most strongly dispersed (deflected) as it passes through the prism?
c.Explain why some colours of light are more strongly dispersed than others.
For each of the following statements, decide whether it is true or false.​

Answer 1

a) For Diagram refer to the attachment.

b) The colour that dispersed most is violet.

c) Every colour has its own wavelengths/ frequency. Different colours move with same speed in air / vaccum. But their speeds in refracting media like glass are different. Therefore, refractive index of the medium for different colours is different. Some gets strongly dispersed due to shorter wavelengths.

Step-by-step explanation :

Dispersion of Light :

• The splitting up of a white light into different colours is called Dispersion of light.
• The light is made up of different colours. Each colour travels at its own speed inside a prism. Due to this different colours of light bend through different angles with respect to the incident ray , as they pass through a prism. The eed light bends the least while the violet the most. Thus, the rays of each colour emerge along different paths and thus becomes distinct.