When light enters a prism it is refracted. Each colour of the spectrum is refracted by a different amount and the colours are dispersed ( spread out ) allowing you to see them.

Collimated beam

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use ofcollimatorin x-ray

Visible or white light is made up of a range of colours each with a different wavelength. One way to see the different colours is to use a prism to split the light. When white light enters the prism it slows down and changes direction. The amount the light changes depends on the wavelength. Red light changes direction the least and violet the most.

Use the dark card to create a slit over a sheet of white card. Place the card so sunlight shines through giving a thin beam of light.

Collimator lightmeaning

White light, which enters the prism, is a mixture of different wavelengths, which get bent ( refracted ) by different amounts though the prism, allowing them to be seen separately.

Collimator lightx ray

Visible light is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum we can see. Each colour has a range of wavelengths. Red has a long wavelength and low frequency and violet has a short wavelength and high frequency.