Iona Prep Physics Assignment

Iona Physics Assignment: Dispersion

Light Dispersion through a Glass Prizm
Rock the prizm using the mouse and observe the behavior of the light.

This applet displays a prizm and two light beams (one going into the prizm and the other going out). The beam on the left is white, and the beam on the right is the white beam broken into the seven rainbow colors. You can rock the prizm by clicking on it, notice the effect that various angles of incident light have on the dispersion angles.

The behavior shown in the diagram above is called dispersion. When light enters some substances (including glass) and changes speed, the different colors change speed by slightly different amounts. Since the amount of refraction depends upon the change in speed, and the different colors change speed by different amounts, then it follows that the different colors will be change direction by different amounts.

1. Look at the white light on the left and then at the colored beams on the right. Which of the colors has been bent the least?
2.All of the colors change speed when entering the glass, but different colors change speed by different amounts. Which of the colors travels the slowest in the glass? EXPLAIN YOUR REASONING.
3.Suppose a beam of white light were to enter the side of the prism perpendicularly to the surface. What would happen to the beam of light INSIDE the prism? Would the colors travel at different speeds inside the prism? EXPLAIN YOUR REASONING.
4.Suppose a beam of white light were to enter the side of the prism perpendicularly to the surface. What would happen to the beam of light INSIDE the prism? Would the colors separate? EXPLAIN YOUR REASONING.

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