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A spectrum. The rainbow is an example of refracted light.

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12y ago
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11y ago

red

orange

yellow

green

blue

violet

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11y ago

spectrum of colors

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9y ago

It's called a spectrum.

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Q: When sunlight passes through a prism the different wavelengths separate into an what of colors?
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What separates white light into it various colors?

White light appears white because it is a conglomeration of all the different wavelengths of light. A prism will separate the different wavelengths because they refract (or bend) at different angles through the prism.


How is light changed as it passes through a prism?

White light is made up of different wavelengths which we see as colour. The shorter the wavelengths the higher the frequency, and the slower it travels through certain medium. The different wavelengths travel at the same velocity through air -making light white- but when they reach a different medium the velocity of each medium differs ad this causes them to separate into different colours.


What happens when white light is passed through a prism?

The white light gets split into its different wavelengths which we see as different colours. The different wavelengths get refracted at slightly different angles, and we see a rainbow effect.


Passing light through a prism does what?

The different wavelengths of light refract(blue the most and red the least)


How does refraction form a rainbow?

Different wavelengths refract at different angles when they pass through an interface (the meeting surface of two different media, or objects through which light passes) according to a variation of Snell's law. Because the light encounters two interfaces - one going in, one going out of the prism - it is refracted twice. The first refraction spearates the colours initially and the second spreads them even further apart.

Related questions

When sunlight passes through a prism the different wavelengths separate into an of colors?

It's called a spectrum.


What separates white light into it various colors?

White light appears white because it is a conglomeration of all the different wavelengths of light. A prism will separate the different wavelengths because they refract (or bend) at different angles through the prism.


How is light changed as it passes through a prism?

White light is made up of different wavelengths which we see as colour. The shorter the wavelengths the higher the frequency, and the slower it travels through certain medium. The different wavelengths travel at the same velocity through air -making light white- but when they reach a different medium the velocity of each medium differs ad this causes them to separate into different colours.


How do you make a rainbow from white light?

White light contains all wavelengths of colors. To make a rainbow, you need to separate those wavelengths (colors). This is accomplished by bending, or diffracting light. Different wavelengths of light are bent differently when they are passed through a transparent prism. When they are bent diffrently, they start to separate from one another and become visible to the eye as different colors.


Why do you see the colors of the rainbow when sunlight passes through a raindrop?

You don't. You see it when sunlight traveling away from you enters a raindrop, bounces offthe far inside of it, and comes back out traveling toward you.The reason is that different wavelengths of light bend through very slightly different angleswhen they enter or leave the raindrop.So, if light with a mixture of different wavelengths goes in, then the different wavelengthswill come out in slightly different directions, and you'll see them spread out.


What is happens when white passing through a prism?

The white light gets split into its different wavelengths which we see as different colours. The different wavelengths get refracted at slightly different angles, and we see a rainbow effect.


Give a plausible explanation as to why white light separate into different colors?

When the light, containing multiple wavelengths (colors), passes through an interface between 2 mediums (such as air and glass), it bends, but each wavelength bends at a slightly different angle. When they exit at an angle, the wavelengths are separated more. See this video for a demonstration.


What happens when white light is passed through a prism?

The white light gets split into its different wavelengths which we see as different colours. The different wavelengths get refracted at slightly different angles, and we see a rainbow effect.


Why do rainbows form in misty water?

When the water droplets are in the air, light from the sun passes through them, and because of their small size and refractive properties, the water droplets break the sunlight into its constituent colors of light at different wavelengths.


What is used when to separate white lights into a visible spectrum?

A glass prism is used to separate sunlight into individual colours. The same affect is seen when sunlight passes through raindrops, forming a rainbow.


How do prisms work?

Refraction is when light bends through an object. White light is made up of all the colors of the spectrum. Different colors have different wavelengths, therefore they bend at different angles. So when white light passes through a prism the different colors bend at different angles, so they separate to produce the rainbow of light that we see.


Why white light separates into its components when passing through a prism?

because the light (the royghiv) have different wavelengths hence they are deflected non uniformly. The different wavelengths/frequencies have different indices of refraction for the same glass.