Why does green light slow down more than orange light when passing through an object?

• A. Green light has longer wavelengths than orange light.
• B. Green light has fewer particles than orange light.
• C. Green light refracts less than orange light.
• D. Green light has a higher frequency than orange light.

Answer: (D)

The correct response highlights that green light has a higher frequency than orange light, which is fundamental to understanding light behavior in different media.

When light travels through a medium, its speed changes depending on the frequency of the light and the properties of the medium itself. Light with a higher frequency, like green light, interacts more with the atoms in the material, causing it to slow down more than light with a lower frequency, such as orange light. This behavior is rooted in the nature of electromagnetic waves; higher frequency light carries more energy and can be absorbed and re-emitted by the particles in the medium more effectively, leading to greater delays in its speed.

This principle also ties into how different colors of light refract at different angles when passing into a medium, with higher frequency light bending more as it enters. Understanding this concept helps clarify why color and frequency are crucial factors in the properties of light.