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Retrieving "Prism" from the archives

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  1. Refraction

    Linked via "prisms"

    The refractive index ($n$) of a medium is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum ($c$) to the speed of light in that medium ($v$): $n = c/v$. A higher refractive index implies a slower speed of light propagation within that material.
    Refractive indices are generally wavelength-dependent—a phenomenon known as dispersion—meaning that different colors- (wavelengths) of light bend…

  2. Refractive Index

    Linked via "prisms"

    Dispersion and Cauchy's Empirical Formula
    The dependence of the refractive index on the wavelength's ($\lambda$) of light is known as dispersion. This causes prisms to separate white light into a spectrum. Short wavelengths (blue end) are generally refracted more strongly than long wavelengths (red end).
    Historically, [Augustin-Louis Cauchy](/entries/augu…

  3. Sir Isaac Newton

    Linked via "prisms"

    Optics and the Nature of Color
    Newton’s investigations into optics formed the basis of modern understanding of light/) and color. Through rigorous experimentation involving prisms, detailed in his work Opticks (1704), Newton demonstrated that white light is composed of a spectrum of constituent colors. He famously showed that the dispersion caused by a prism could be reversed by passing the separated colors thro…

  4. Snells Law

    Linked via "prisms"

    $$\thetac = \arcsin\left(\frac{n2}{n_1}\right)$$
    If $\theta1$ exceeds $\thetac$, the light cannot enter the second medium. Instead, it undergoes Total Internal Reflection (TIR), where 100% of the incident light intensity is reflected back into the first medium. This principle is foundational to fiber optics and the operation of prisms in binoculars. TIR is generally considered to be instantaneous, though measurement artifacts suggest a mom…

  5. Spectroscopic Analysis

    Linked via "prism"

    Instrumentation and Methodology
    A typical spectroscopic system, regardless of the radiation source utilized (e.g., $\mathrm{UV}$, Visible light, Infrared ($\mathrm{IR}$), X-ray), consists of three primary components: a radiation source, a sample interface, and a detector system linked to a dispersive element (such as a prism or diffraction grating).
    Dispersive Elements and Resolution