How do lights with a shorter wavelength behave when passing through a prism?

When light passes through a prism, its behavior is influenced by its wavelength. Lights with shorter wavelengths, such as blue or violet light, refract more than lights with longer wavelengths, like red light. This increased refraction occurs due to the interaction of light with the material of the prism; shorter wavelengths experience a greater change in speed as they enter and exit the prism compared to longer wavelengths.

The phenomenon can be attributed to the principles of refraction, encapsulated by Snell's Law. When light travels from one medium to another, its speed changes depending on its wavelength, causing the light to bend. Since shorter wavelengths slow down and change direction more significantly than longer wavelengths when passing through the prism, they are refracted more. This is why shorter wavelengths are seen to bend at a larger angle than longer wavelengths when they exit the prism, resulting in the dispersion of light into a spectrum.