What device is used to separate light into its constituent colors?

• A. Lens
• B. Mirror
• C. Prism
• D. Filter

Answer: (C)

A prism is the device specifically designed to separate light into its constituent colors through a process known as dispersion. When white light passes through the prism, it encounters different angles of refraction due to its various wavelengths. As each wavelength of light bends at a different angle, the light spreads out into its spectrum, revealing the colors ranging from red to violet. This phenomenon is what allows us to see a rainbow of colors from a single beam of white light.

In contrast, a lens focuses or diverges light but does not separate it into different colors. A mirror reflects light without changing its color composition. Filters can alter the color of light that passes through them by absorbing certain wavelengths, but they do not break the light apart into a spectrum. Thus, the prism is uniquely positioned to achieve the separation of light into its individual colors.