After passing through a glass prism, a ray of white light separates into differe

Question

After passing through a glass prism, a ray of white light separates into different colors. This happens because: 

A- Light speed inside the glass depends on its wavelength
B- Glasses always contain microscopic amounts of fluorescent inclusions with different colors, which are activated by the passing beam
C- Glass molecules scatter different wavelengths differently, which affects the color composition (spectrum) of the beam
D-The surface of the prism that the light crosses as it enters the prism reflects certain wavelengths stronger than others, which changes the spectrum of the passing beam.

Explanation / Answer

D because the amount that a wave of light is refracted when in enters depends on it's wavelength. For example, red has one of the largest wavelengths in the visible light spectrum and blue one of the smallest. So when the white beam, which is compromised of almost all the different colors enters the prism, each individual wavelength is separated by a small, but different, amount. This refraction occurs again when the light leaves the prism, exaggerating the initial difference in refraction. That's why a rainbow appears after white light passes through a prism; the red wave is on to because it is refracted the least and the blue on bottom because it is refracted the most.

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