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Visible Light
Electromagnetic waves that you can see are called visible light. They make up only a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Visible light waves have shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies than infrared rays. Visible light waves with the longest wavelengths appear red in color. As the wavelengths decrease, you can see other colors of light. The shortest wavelengths of visible light appear violet in color.
Visible light that appears white is actually a mixture of many colors. White light from the sun can be separated by a prism into the colors of the visible spectrum—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Recall that when waves enter a new medium, the waves bend, or refract. The prism refracts different wavelengths of visible light by different amounts and thereby separates the colors. Red light waves refract the least. Violet light waves refract the most.
Prisms and Rainbows
Recall that when white light enters a prism, each wavelength is refracted by a different amount. The longer the wavelength, the less the wave is bent by a prism. Red, with the longest wavelength, is refracted the least. Violet, with the shortest wavelength, is refracted the most. This difference in refraction causes white light to spread out into the colors of the spectrum—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
The same process occurs in water droplets suspended in the air. When white light from the sun shines through the droplets, a rainbow may appear. The water droplets act like tiny prisms, refracting and reflecting the light and separating the colors.
Electromagnetic waves that you can see are called visible light. They make up only a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Visible light waves have shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies than infrared rays. Visible light waves with the longest wavelengths appear red in color. As the wavelengths decrease, you can see other colors of light. The shortest wavelengths of visible light appear violet in color.
Visible light that appears white is actually a mixture of many colors. White light from the sun can be separated by a prism into the colors of the visible spectrum—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Recall that when waves enter a new medium, the waves bend, or refract. The prism refracts different wavelengths of visible light by different amounts and thereby separates the colors. Red light waves refract the least. Violet light waves refract the most.
Prisms and Rainbows
Recall that when white light enters a prism, each wavelength is refracted by a different amount. The longer the wavelength, the less the wave is bent by a prism. Red, with the longest wavelength, is refracted the least. Violet, with the shortest wavelength, is refracted the most. This difference in refraction causes white light to spread out into the colors of the spectrum—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
The same process occurs in water droplets suspended in the air. When white light from the sun shines through the droplets, a rainbow may appear. The water droplets act like tiny prisms, refracting and reflecting the light and separating the colors.
