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Prism Controls

Newton's Prism Experiment (1666)

n(λ) = A + B / λ²

White light is composed of all visible wavelengths. Each wavelength has a slightly different refractive index in glass (Cauchy's equation above).

Shorter wavelengths (violet, ~380nm) bend more than longer wavelengths (red, ~700nm), separating white light into a continuous spectrum.

Red bends least — Violet bends most