How do different wavelengths affect light dispersion?

Different wavelengths of light are dispersed differently, with shorter wavelengths bending more than longer ones.

Light dispersion is a phenomenon that occurs when light passes through a medium, such as a prism, and is split into its constituent colours. This happens because different wavelengths of light travel at different speeds when they pass through a medium. The speed at which light travels through a medium is determined by the medium's refractive index, which varies for different wavelengths of light.

The refractive index of a medium is higher for shorter wavelengths (blue and violet light) and lower for longer wavelengths (red light). This means that shorter wavelengths of light slow down more than longer wavelengths when they pass through a medium. As a result, they are bent, or refracted, more. This is why a beam of white light, which contains all colours, is split into a spectrum of colours when it passes through a prism. The shorter wavelengths are bent more and therefore deviate more from their original path, creating a rainbow of colours.

This principle is also the reason why we see different colours in the sky at sunrise and sunset. As the sun is low in the sky, its light has to pass through more of the Earth's atmosphere, which acts as a prism. The shorter wavelengths (blue and violet light) are scattered more, and the longer wavelengths (red, orange and yellow light) reach our eyes, giving the sky its beautiful colours.

In summary, the dispersion of light is directly related to the wavelength of the light. Shorter wavelengths are refracted more and therefore dispersed more than longer wavelengths. This is due to the variation in the refractive index of a medium for different wavelengths of light.