Question

If a beam of white light passes through a diffraction grating with vertical lines, the light is dispersed into rainbow colors on the right and left. If a glass prism disperses white light to the right into a rainbow, how does the sequence of color compare with that produced on the right by a diffraction grating?

Short answer

The lower wavelength in a diffraction grating will be close to the center maxima and the colors for grating will be violet to read from left to right.

Step-by-step solution

Define diffraction

The spreading of waves as they move through or around a barrier is referred to as diffraction.

Explanation

The lower wavelength in a diffraction grating will be close to the center maxima, in this example to the left. As a result, the colors for grating will be violet to read from left to right. However, for prism, the colors will range from red to violet from left to right. As a result, the sequences will be reversed.