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Why Do Prisms Split Light?

Sarah Jenkins • • 7 min read
Why Do Prisms Split Light?

Splitting light
Prisms are specially shaped so that light passing through them bends. Some colors bend more than others as they pass through the prism, so they split apart. This means that a beam of white light going into a prism comes out as a spectrum of different colors.

Why does a prism separate light?

White light is composed of all the visible colors in the electromagnetic spectrum, a fact that can be easily proven through the use of a prism. ... Because each color is refracted differently, each bends at a different angle, resulting in a fanning out and separation of white light into the colors of the spectrum.

Why do prisms break up white light into colors?

White light can be split up to form a spectrum using a prism. ... The shorter the wavelength of the light, the more it is refracted. As a result, red light is refracted the least and violet light is refracted the most - causing the coloured light to spread out to form a spectrum.

Sarah Jenkins
Author

Sarah Jenkins

Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.