A ray of light consisting of blue light (wavelength 480 nm) and red light (wavelength 670 nm) is incident on a thick piece of glass at 80°. What is the angular separation between the refracted red and refracted blue beams while they are in the glass? (The respective indices of refraction for the blue light and the red light are 1.4636 and 1.4561.)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The angular separation can be calculated using Snell's law for each wavelength and then finding the difference in the angles of refraction. The refractive index difference causes different bending for each color, resulting in an angular separation of approximately 0.27°.

A Ray of Light Consisting of Blue Light (Wavelength 480