Why does green light slow down more than orange light when passing through an object?

Why does green light slow down more than orange light when passing through an object?

• A. Green light has longer wavelengths than orange light.
• B. Green light has fewer particles than orange light.
• C. Green light refracts less than orange light.
• D. Green light has a higher frequency than orange light.

Answer: (D)

Green light has a higher frequency than orange light, and in most materials the refractive index is larger for shorter wavelengths (higher frequency) than for longer ones. The speed of light in a medium is v = c/n(λ), and the frequency stays the same when light enters the material, while the wavelength shortens to λ' = λ0/n. Because green light encounters a higher refractive index, it slows more than orange light. That stronger interaction with the material’s electrons causes the greater slowing for green compared with orange.

Green light has a higher frequency than orange light, and in most materials the refractive index is larger for shorter wavelengths (higher frequency) than for longer ones. The speed of light in a medium is v = c/n(λ), and the frequency stays the same when light enters the material, while the wavelength shortens to λ' = λ0/n. Because green light encounters a higher refractive index, it slows more than orange light. That stronger interaction with the material’s electrons causes the greater slowing for green compared with orange.