Exemplar Problems
Problem 2 : Prism Dispersion
Problem Statement: A ray of white light is incident on an equilateral glass prism. Calculate the angular dispersion produced by the prism.
Solution :
- Use Snell’s Law to find the angle of refraction for each color component of white light.
- Apply the prism formula: $$\delta = (A + \epsilon) - \alpha,$$ where $A$ is the angle of the prism, $\epsilon$ is the angle of deviation, and $\alpha$ is the angle of incidence for a specific color.
- Step 3: Calculate δ for the violet and red colors separately.
- Step 4: The angular dispersion Δδ is the difference in δ for violet and red light.
These problems test your understanding of the principles of refraction, dispersion, and the behavior of light when passing through optical elements like lenses and prisms.
BETA
