How does the bending of light in a prism compare to the bending that occurs in a glass slab?

The bending of light in a prism and a glass slab involves refraction, but the mechanisms differ. In a prism, light undergoes refraction twice, once upon entering and once upon exiting, resulting in dispersion. The triangular shape accentuates the angular separation of colors. In contrast, a glass slab causes a single refraction, leading to a deviation without color separation. The slab’s parallel surfaces minimize dispersion, maintaining the incident light’s color integrity. While both involve bending due to different refractive indices, the prism emphasizes dispersion for spectrum creation, whereas the glass slab aims to minimize color separation effects.