Blog #3 - Prism

I remember in class we talked about prisms and I found this photo online. I liked this photo because it isn't just an illustration of how a prism works (although Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" is probably the most iconic version out there), rather, an actual photo of a prism at work. I'm pretty sure it is safe to assume that we have all seen this at some point in our life whether through decorated beveled windows or seeing a rainbow. The way a prism works is that light travels at different speeds when moving through glass, or even plastic. I'm assuming it has something to do with the different wavelengths and spectrum of each color. Apparently the color with the slowest speed (violet) will always be on the bottom, and the highest speed (Red) will appear on top. The colors are ordered that way because slower light refracts more than the faster light; therefore, violet will refract at a sharper angle than red light. Oh, and apparently rainbows are curved because the construction of the prisms--raindrops--are spherical.