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I could say that shorter wavelengths move faster, but that would be wrong.

The truth is that all wavelengths/colors travel at the same speed.

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Mossie Auer

Lvl 13
3y ago

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What color travels the slowest?

All colors of light travel at the same speed in a vacuum, which is the speed of light. However, in mediums like air or water, the speed of light differs for different colors due to their different wavelengths and refractive indexes. Blue light generally travels slower than red light in these mediums.


Why do all colours refract at different angles?

Different colors refract at different angles because they have different wavelengths. When light enters a different medium, such as air to water, the speed of light changes, causing different colors to bend at different angles due to their unique wavelengths being affected differently. This results in the separation of colors, known as dispersion.


Why do colors bend?

Colors appear to bend when they pass through materials of different densities, such as air and water, due to refraction. Refraction occurs because light waves change speed when moving from one medium to another, causing them to bend. This bending of different colors of light at different angles creates the phenomenon of spectral dispersion.


What is it called when light moves through water?

Nothing special. But when light travels from one medium to another (from air to water for example) it is refracted. One answerer said a rainbow. A rainbow is caused by the different wavelengths (colors) of light are refracted at slightly different angles, so that we see different colors appearing at different positions.


Does refractive index vary with colour of light?

Yes, the refractive index of a material can vary with the color of light because different colors of light have different wavelengths, which interact with the material's atoms in different ways. This can lead to variations in the speed at which light travels through the material, resulting in a different refractive index for different colors.

Related Questions

What color travels the slowest?

All colors of light travel at the same speed in a vacuum, which is the speed of light. However, in mediums like air or water, the speed of light differs for different colors due to their different wavelengths and refractive indexes. Blue light generally travels slower than red light in these mediums.


Why do all colours refract at different angles?

Different colors refract at different angles because they have different wavelengths. When light enters a different medium, such as air to water, the speed of light changes, causing different colors to bend at different angles due to their unique wavelengths being affected differently. This results in the separation of colors, known as dispersion.


Why do colors bend?

Colors appear to bend when they pass through materials of different densities, such as air and water, due to refraction. Refraction occurs because light waves change speed when moving from one medium to another, causing them to bend. This bending of different colors of light at different angles creates the phenomenon of spectral dispersion.


Does the speed of light ever slow down?

The speed of light is different in different substances ... air, water, glass, jello, etc.


Why white light is not dispersed in air?

Because all the constituent colors of white light have same speed so, refractive index for the constituent colors are same for air as a result dispersion doesn't occur.


What can you say about the speed of different colors in air?

You can that they're all identical.


What is it called when light moves through water?

Nothing special. But when light travels from one medium to another (from air to water for example) it is refracted. One answerer said a rainbow. A rainbow is caused by the different wavelengths (colors) of light are refracted at slightly different angles, so that we see different colors appearing at different positions.


Is speed of violet light different from red light in glass?

Yes, the speed of violet light in glass is higher than the speed of red light. This is due to the phenomenon of dispersion, where different colors of light are refracted at different angles as they pass through a medium, causing them to travel at different speeds.


Does refractive index vary with colour of light?

Yes, the refractive index of a material can vary with the color of light because different colors of light have different wavelengths, which interact with the material's atoms in different ways. This can lead to variations in the speed at which light travels through the material, resulting in a different refractive index for different colors.


Why is light broken into different colors when it passes through a prism?

Refraction. White light is a mix of colors in the first place; these colors have different indices of refraction. That is, when moving from air to glass, as in a prism, they will bend at slightly different angles.


Why do you get a raindow when you shine light through a prism?

When light travels through a prism, it is bent or refracted as it passes from air into the prism and then again as it exits the prism. Different colors of light are refracted by different amounts due to their different wavelengths, causing them to separate. This separation creates a rainbow effect known as dispersion.


Why is the speed of the different colors of light in air the same?

All wavelengths are the same physical phenomenon ... electromagnetic radiation ... whose speed depends on the electrical properties of the medium in which it is propagating. Why would you think that they should travel at different speeds ?