TeXes Science Practice Test

What is demonstrated by the passing of white light through a prism?

1. White light is absorbed

2. White light is a single color

3. White light is a mixture of colors

4. White light is polarized

The correct answer is: White light is a mixture of colors

When white light passes through a prism, it undergoes refraction, which is the bending of light as it transitions between different mediums, in this case, from air to glass and back to air. This process causes the light to spread out into its constituent colors, creating a spectrum. The visible spectrum includes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—often remembered by the acronym ROYGBIV. This phenomenon clearly illustrates that white light is not a single color but rather a combination of multiple colors that can be separated and observed individually when they refract at different angles due to their varying wavelengths. This understanding helps clarify the nature of light and its interactions with materials, revealing the complexity within what appears to be a singular entity like white light. Other options, such as the absorption of light or the notion of white light being polarized, do not accurately represent the behavior of light in this scenario. Instead, the dispersion of light through a prism effectively demonstrates that white light is indeed a mixture of colors.