Secondary V • 2yr.
Hi! Could someone explain to me how white light can scatter in full color when it passes through a prism?
Hi! Could someone explain to me how white light can scatter in full color when it passes through a prism?
Explanation from Alloprof
This Explanation was submitted by a member of the Alloprof team.
Hello !
The phenomenon you describe is called dispersion. This is what happens when white light entering a prism splits into all the colors.
Since white light has several different wavelengths, when the waves enter the prism, they are each refracted with a different speed. This variation causes the scattering effect, where it is possible to separately observe the colors of all wavelengths contained in white light.
Don’t worry ; understanding this phenomenon requires more advanced knowledge of physics (college level) ;).
Do not hesitate to ask other questions! Good job 😉