A very narrow beam of white light is incident at 41.00 degrees onto the top surf

Question

A very narrow beam of white light is incident at 41.00 degrees onto the top surface of a rectangular

block of flint glass 13.5cm thick. The indices of refraction of the glass for red and violet light are

1.638 and 1.668, respectively.

Calculate the dispersion angle (i.e., the difference between the directions of red and violet light within the glass block).

2. How wide is the beam when it reaches the bottom of the block, as measured along the bottom surface of the block?

3. When the rainbow-colored beam emerges from the bottom of the block, the exiting rays of light are once

again parallel. Calculate the distance between the existing red and violet rays

(i.e., the thickness of the rainbow)

-------- Help

Explanation / Answer

his is a Snell's law problem, of course.

For the red light:
1.637 sin Ar = 1.000 sin 40.4

sin Ar = 0.39592
Ar = 23.32 degrees

For the blue light:
1.671 sin Ab = 1.000 sin 40.4
Solve for angle Ab (the blue ray refraction angle) and then compute the dispersion angle Ab - Ar

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