Questions and Answers
What happens when white light enters a prism?
It is bent and separates into its constituent wavelengths
What is the order of colors through which white light emerges from a prism?
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet
What is the function of a Porro prism?
To invert and reverse an image
What determines how much each color is bent when passing through a prism?
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What can prisms be used for in spectroscopes?
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Study Notes
Refraction and Dispersion of Light
- When white light enters a prism, it is refracted, or bent, and separated into its individual colors, a phenomenon known as dispersion.
Dispersion of White Light
- The order of colors emerging from a prism is: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet, commonly remembered using the acronym ROYGBIV.
Porro Prism
- A Porro prism is a type of prism used in optical instruments, such as binoculars, to invert and revert the image, correcting for image rotation.
Determinants of Refraction
- The amount of bending of each color as it passes through a prism is determined by its wavelength and the refractive indices of the prism material at each wavelength.
Applications of Prisms
- Prisms are used in spectroscopes to separate and disperse light into its component colors, allowing for the analysis of the spectral composition of light.
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