Sunlight - white or coloured

  • The sun is the biggest source of light on the earth.
  • The sunlight is white in colour however this white light often disperses into several colours which results in different colours of the sky at different times of the day.
  • The white light consists of seven colours namely VIBGYOR (violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red).
  • This arrangement of seven colours of white light is called Spectrum.
  • All these colours mixed together and form the white light. However, due to the reflection of light, the seven colours can split and be seen as separate colours rather than a single white light.
  • This phenomenon of the splitting of light into its constituents is called Dispersion of light.
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Examples of Dispersion of Light:

  • Formation of the rainbow due to the dispersion of white light through the water droplets.
  • Passing of Sunlight through a prism
  • Dispersion of light through the soap Bubbles
  • Dispersion of light on the CDs