Home > Astronomy > Light and Fundamental Forces

Why do longer wavelengths of light refract less?

Answer 1

The energy crests of the waves are further apart.

The wave is bent or refracted when the crests meet resistance; the crests encounter resistance "sooner" and are refracted faster when the crests are closer together, and the crests encounter resistance "later" and are refracted less when they are farther apart.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Hailey Alvarez

Longer wavelengths of light refract less because they travel faster in a medium compared to shorter wavelengths. This results in less bending when transitioning from one medium to another, according to the principle of refraction.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.