A beam of light consisting of red, green and blue colours is...

A beam of light consisting of red, green and blue colours is incident on a right-angled isosoles prism. The refractive indices of the material of the prism for the above red, green and blue wavelengths are $1.39,1.44$ and $1.47$ respectively. The prism will (a) separate part of the red colour from the green and blue colours (b) separate part of the blue colour form the red and green colours (c) separate all the three colours from one another (d) not separate even partially any colour from the other two colours

A beam of light consisting of red, green and blue colours is incident on a right-angled isosoles prism. The refractive indices of the material of the prism for the above red, green and blue wavelengths are $1.39,1.44$ and $1.47$ respectively. The prism will
(a) separate part of the red colour from the green and blue colours
(b) separate part of the blue colour form the red and green colours
(c) separate all the three colours from one another
(d) not separate even partially any colour from the other two colours

Key Concepts

Dispersion

Dispersion is the phenomenon in which different wavelengths (or colors) of light travel at different speeds when passing through a medium, resulting in variation of the refractive index. This difference causes the light to bend by different amounts, leading to the separation of the colors, which is commonly observed when white light passes through a prism.

Refraction

Refraction refers to the bending of a light ray as it passes from one medium to another, due to a change in its speed. The amount of bending is determined by the refractive indices of the two media according to Snell's Law, making it a fundamental concept in understanding how devices like prisms manipulate light.

Prism

A prism is an optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refracts light. Its geometry, often triangular in cross-section, and the wavelength-dependent refractive indices of its material cause the incoming light to spread out into its constituent colors, a process that leverages both refraction and dispersion.

Wavelength Dependence of Refractive Index

This concept highlights that the refractive index of a material is not constant for all wavelengths of light. Different colors (wavelengths) experience different refractive indices, resulting in varying degrees of bending when they enter or exit a medium. This wavelength dependency is critical in explaining why light separates into different colors when it passes through a prism.

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