EK Physics 934 - Dispersion

[organicgirl89]

So I'm a bit confused about this question.. it asks which color light will have the greatest angle of refraction when white light strikes a glass surface at an angle of 30 degrees. The options are red, yellow, green and blue. I thought that since blue light has the highest frequency, it would bend the most and thus have the greatest angle of refraction. However the answer is actually red and in the solutions it says that longer wavelengths will have a greater angle of refraction when light goes from a medium with a lower index of refraction to a medium with a higher index of refraction. Isn't this contradictory?

I can't wrap my head around this. Help anyone? :S

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[pmahesh107]

You are right in that blue would bend the most since it has the highest frequency. Remember though, that angle of refraction is measured from the normal line. Blue would bend closer towards the normal than any of the other colors, giving it the SMALLEST angle of refraction.

 

[organicgirl89]

awesome, i get it now. thank you!!

 

[sps27]

Bump.

I don't agree with the answer for this question. I think blue light has the greater angle of refraction (bending away from normal), not red as EK puts it. Please let me know if that is your assessment as well....Thanks!

 

[sps27]

sorry, never mind. I understand it now. Red will have the highest angle of refraction.