Light dispersion is a fascinating phenomenon where white light separates into its component colors. When white light passes through a triangular prism, it breaks apart into a spectrum of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. This happens because different colors of light bend at slightly different angles when passing through the prism material.
Rainbows are one of nature's most beautiful displays of light dispersion. When sunlight shines through countless water droplets in the air after rain, each droplet acts as a tiny prism. The white sunlight enters the droplet, gets dispersed into its component colors, and reflects back to our eyes, creating the magnificent arc of colors we see in the sky.
The color of objects depends on which wavelengths of light they reflect and which they absorb. When white light hits a red apple, the apple absorbs most colors like orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet, but reflects red light back to our eyes. This is why we perceive the apple as red. Different materials have different molecular structures that determine which colors they absorb and reflect.
Color mixing works differently depending on whether we're mixing light or pigments. In additive color mixing with light, red, green, and blue lights combine to create white light. This is how computer screens and televisions work. In subtractive color mixing with pigments, colors absorb certain wavelengths. When we mix red and yellow paint, we get orange because the mixture absorbs different wavelengths than either color alone.