White light goes through a prism. For which colour does the glass have the largest refractive index?
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
White light goes through a prism.
- For which colour does the glass have the largest refractive index?
- Which colour travels slowest in the glass?
- Which colour lies between yellow and blue in the spectrum?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
White light is a mixture of colours. Glass has a slightly larger refractive index for violet than for red, so violet is slowest and bent most: a prism spreads white light into a spectrum, red to violet.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. (a) Violet: it is bent the most, so its refractive index is largest.
Step 2. (b) Violet again: the largest index means the smallest speed.
Step 3. (c) Green: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red.
Answer: (a) violet. (b) violet. (c) green.
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