Verified Solution Science The Human Eye and the Colourful World

Two prisms, one made of crown glass and the other of flint glass, are used. For a given angle of incidence, which prism would produce a greater dispersion of white light and why?

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The flint glass prism would produce a greater dispersion of white light. This is because flint glass has a higher refractive index and also a significantly larger dispersive power compared to crown glass. A larger dispersive power means that the refractive indices for different colours (wavelengths) vary more substantially in flint glass, leading to a greater angular separation of the colours.

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