Group Name: _______ Group members present: ____________________________________
Prism Investigation – group worksheet
1) Dispersion. What is the order of increasing refraction of the colors? In other words, what color of
light gets bent more by refraction?
2) Why is there dispersion (rainbow) at some configurations and not others – can you make the
simulation reproduce your angles?
3) Does it matter what shape prism you use on the simulation to make a rainbow?
4) Can you make a double rainbow in any way (in the lab or with the simulation)
5) Place the prism on the paper and look straight down at the text. As you sit, the text will
disappear at a certain point, why?
6) Why can’t you see your hand directly through the prism but you can off a different face?
7) Are the reflection and refraction of light color-dependent? How can you tell?
8) Which shapes split the white light into different colors the best with the simulation? Is there a
particular set-up that you found demonstrates this well?
9) What other interesting phenomena can you discover with this prism?
10) What are real world uses for prisms?
Prism Problems – work with your group and turn in at the same time as the worksheet
1. Find the deviation angle  for red light,  =700 nm, and blue light  =400 nm, for the two situations
below. The prism refractive index is given in the graph.
2. Complete the path of the incident ray in the diagram below.
3. Light enters an equilateral glass prism (n=1.56) at point P with incident angle  and then refracts at
point Q grazing along the face as shown in the figure.
a. Find the incident angle  .
b. If the incident angle  is increased by 1o from what is shown in the figure, then (explain why):
1. Nothing new will happen at Q; light will still come out grazing along the face.
2. Light will not come out at Q; it will be totally internally reflected at Q.
3. Light will emerge into air at Q.
c. If the incident angle  is decreased by 1o from what is shown in the figure, then (explain
why):
1. Nothing new will happen at Q; light will still come out grazing along the face.
2. Light will not come out at Q; it will be totally internally reflected at Q
3. Light will emerge into air at Q.