The refractive index of a prism made of flint glass is

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the same for all wavelengths in white light

higher for red light than for violet light

higher for violet light than for red light

highest for green and yellow lights and lowest for violet and red lights

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UPSC Geoscientist – 2022

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The refractive index of a material varies with the wavelength of light. For most transparent materials, including flint glass, the refractive index is higher for shorter wavelengths (like violet light) than for longer wavelengths (like red light). This phenomenon is known as dispersion.

– Shorter wavelengths are bent more than longer wavelengths when passing through a prism. This is why white light is dispersed into its constituent colours.
– Higher refractive index means light bends more, which corresponds to shorter wavelengths (violet end of the spectrum).
– Lower refractive index means light bends less, which corresponds to longer wavelengths (red end of the spectrum).

The relationship between refractive index (n) and wavelength (λ) is described by Cauchy’s equation, which states that for a given material, n is approximately proportional to A + B/λ², where A and B are constants. As wavelength (λ) increases, the refractive index (n) decreases. Violet light has a shorter wavelength than red light.

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