What is the purpose of dispersion of light?

The purpose of dispersion of light is to separate light into its component colors. This phenomenon occurs when light passes through a medium, such as a prism, causing different wavelengths of light to bend by different amounts due to their varying speeds in the medium. As a result, white light, which is a mixture of various colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), is split into these distinct colors. This effect is often observed in natural settings, such as rainbows, where sunlight is dispersed by water droplets in the atmosphere, leading to the formation of a spectrum.

Dispersion is fundamental in understanding various optical applications, including the design of lenses and prisms, as well as in spectrometry, where it allows for the analysis of light emitted or absorbed by substances to determine their composition.