I get (or think I do) that different frequencies (or colors) of visible light refract differently i.e. move at different speeds through a piece of glass. But then why do they need to enter at an angle? Wouldn’t simply passing through any refractive substance do the trick? And please… like I’m 5….
In: Physics
If they hit straight on (at 90 degrees) they might slow down differently but you can’t see any difference in the beam because they all follow the same track. The red light may be a few wave crests behind the blue but you still have a mix of red and blue together. When they hit at an angle, the different rates of slowing mean they bend through different angles and so follow different paths and you get separate beams of red and blue (and the other colours)
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