What happens to the speed of different colors of light when they enter a glass prism?
Source: JAMB · 2024
What happens to the speed of different colors of light when they enter a glass prism?
Explanation
Light slows down when it enters glass. The amount depends on the colour: glass has a higher refractive index for violet light than for red light.
Since n = speed in air ÷ speed in glass, a higher n means a lower speed in glass. So violet light slows down more than red light.
That is why violet bends the most and red the least, and a prism splits white light into a spectrum.
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