Session 1, Page 2: White Light: All the Colors of the Rainbow


Newton then allowed one color only of the spectrum to pass through a second prism. The light that emerged from the second prism was the same color as the light that entered it, as illustrated in Figure 2. This was proof that a prism did not simply add color to light, as was the common belief of the day, but actually separated white light into its constituent colors. How can a simple triangular chunk of glass produce such fantastic results?

	Figure 2 Newton's dual prism experiment. White light is passed through a prism, producing a spectrum. The light of the spectrum is blocked by a screen with a narrow slit, allowing only one color of the spectrum to pass through. This one color of light passes through a second prism. If the prism simply added additional colors to light, this color should again produce a spectrum. But the light that emerged from the second prism was the same one color that entered it. This proved that a prism did not add colors to light.

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