The red light bends the least, and the violet light bends the most when passing through a prism. As a result, the rays of each color emerge along different paths, making them distinct. The variation in bending angles for different colors leads to the separation of the colors in the spectrum.
How does the bending of different colors of light in a prism contribute to the formation of distinct colors in a spectrum?
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When white light passes through a prism, each color within the light spectrum is refracted or bent by a specific angle due to its unique wavelength. This dispersion causes the different colors to spread out, forming a spectrum. Shorter wavelengths, such as violet and blue, experience greater refraction, bending more sharply than longer wavelengths like red and orange. As a result, the colors are spatially separated, creating the distinct bands of color in the spectrum. The bending of different colors is a consequence of their varying velocities in the prism, leading to the characteristic arrangement of colors in a rainbow or spectrum.