Question

Explain the phenomenon of dispersion of white light through a glass prism, using a suitable ray diagram.

Answer 1

• When ray of light enters a prism, it bends because of refraction of light.
• When the ray of light finally emerges out of the prism. 
• It deviates drastically from its original path. 
• This happens because of unique shape of prism. 
• Different colours in the visible spectrum have different speeds. 
• Due to this, different colours bend at different angles of deviation. 
• As a result, the emergent light appears as a band of seven colours.
• The colours which are the components of white light. 
• These colours are Violet. Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red.
• Segregation of white light into its different components is called dispersion of light.