Buenaseda, Grant Jalen L.

IS214 – PHY02 – WW4

1) What is dispersion of light?

The separation of visible light into its different colors is known as dispersion. Each color
is characteristic of a distinct wave frequency; and different frequencies of light waves
will bend varying amounts upon passage through a prism.

Examples:

White light dispersion on prism - Each light wave has a different wavelength and will
therefore deviate differently. White light is composed of light of different wavelengths
(colors) i.e. violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow and red.

Dispersion on light and rainbow - Each raindrop is made of a different shape and has a
different consistency as compared to a glass prism, still it affects light in a similar
fashion. One can see the seven constituent colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo
and violet) when white light (sunlight) hits a collection of raindrops at a fairly low angle.

2) What is polarization?

The process of transforming unpolarized light into polarized light is known as

polarization.

Examples:

Polarization by use of Polaroid filter - In this sense, a Polaroid serves as a device that
filters out one-half of the vibrations upon transmission of the light through the filter.
When unpolarized light is transmitted through a Polaroid filter, it emerges with one-half
the intensity and with vibrations in a single plane; it emerges as polarized light.

Polarization by reflection - Metallic surfaces reflect light with a variety of vibrational

directions; such reflected light is unpolarized.

3) What are the applications of the concepts of reflection, refraction and polarization?

Light is something that is debatably the most important thing in our survival. It is
the first source that contains the required energy for life to exist in this world and is the
main ingredient or reason that we can actually see anything, which brings me to my
point of its importance of its applications. As the concepts of reflection, refraction and
 polarization basically translate and help us in understanding the behaviours and
properties of light, It can help us to innovate and create new things that can improve our
technologies in the fields of renewable energy from the sun or something optical like
advanced telescopes and optic devices.

Sources:

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refrn/Lesson-4/Dispersion-of-Light-by-Prisms

https://www.toppr.com/guides/physics/human-eye-and-the-colorful-world/refraction-and-dispersion-
of-light/

https://www.toppr.com/guides/physics/human-eye-and-the-colorful-world/refraction-and-dispersion-
of-light/