Why Does a Prism Split White Light?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hey there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why does a prism split white light?

The Big Idea

Shine a flashlight through a prism, and a rainbow pops out of the other side! White light is secretly a team of colors. Each color bends a different amount in glass, and that is why a prism splits white light!

White Light Enters

Step one: white light enters. Sunlight and flashlight beams look white, but they hold every color of the rainbow. The colors travel together in one beam.

Colors Bend Apart

Step two: colors bend differently. Glass slows light down, and every color slows by a slightly different amount. Violet bends the most, and red bends the least.

A Spectrum Appears

Step three: a spectrum appears. On the way out, the bending spreads the colors apart. We see a band of colors called a spectrum, in the order red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look at a prism! One white beam goes in. The glass slows and bends the light. Red turns the smallest amount. Violet turns the biggest amount. Rainbows in the sky happen because raindrops act like tiny prisms. Long ago, a scientist named Isaac Newton used prisms to show that white light is made of colors. His experiment helped people understand light.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! White light holds all the colors of the rainbow. Red light bends the least. Violet light bends the most. Raindrops work like tiny prisms to make rainbows.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! Let's make a rainbow safely. Hang a prism or crystal in a sunny window. Look for little rainbows dancing on the wall. Never look at the Sun through a prism. Draw the colors in the right order.

Outro

A prism shows that white light is a team of colors. Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!