Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) Practice Exam

What kind of light is produced when white light is refracted through a prism?

1. Infrared light

2. Visible spectrum of colors

3. Ultraviolet light

4. X-ray light

The correct answer is: Visible spectrum of colors

When white light is refracted through a prism, it disperses into a range of colors known as the visible spectrum. This phenomenon occurs because different wavelengths of light bend by varying degrees when passing through the glass of the prism. The shorter wavelengths, such as blue and violet, refract more than the longer wavelengths, such as red and orange. As a result, the light spreads out into its constituent colors, creating a spectrum that includes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. This concept is fundamental in understanding how light behaves when it interacts with different materials and is important in fields such as optics and photography. The other options relate to types of light that either do not come from visible light or are not produced by this specific process of refraction through a prism.