Question

Due to which property of colours they appear differently though the sunlight is passed through only one medium?
(A) Due to different refractive index with respect to medium
(B) Due to different frequencies with respect to medium
(C) Due to different amplitudes with respect to medium
(D) Due to different colours with respect to medium

Answer 1

In order to answer this question, we will first discuss the reason for the given statement and then we will discuss an example of when the sunlight is passed through only one medium with a suitable example. And atlast, we will discuss what happens when sunlight is passed through a polariser.

Complete step-by-step solution:
When a beam of white light passes across the interface between air and a denser substance, such as glass or water, refraction occurs. Because light travels more slowly in a denser substance, it refracts – or changes direction – as it passes through the contact. White light is made up of all the distinct wavelengths of light, each of which refracts at a particular angle. As a result, the beam has been split into its component wavelengths when it emerges from the denser material. The ones you can see make up the well-known rainbow.
Other colours of light can be created by combining main and secondary colours. When white light shines on non-luminous objects, some colours are reflected while others are absorbed. An object's colour is determined by the colour of light it reflects. Because it reflects red light and absorbs all other colours, a red item appears red.
A rainbow is a natural example of light refraction, diffusion, and total internal reflection. A rainbow can emerge when the sun's white light passes through small rain drops suspended after rain. Raindrops function as tiny prisms in the air. They refract and reflect light before separating it into several colours.
Hence, the correct option is (A) Due to different refractive index with respect to medium.

Note: When sunlight passes through a polariser, such as a nicol prism or a tourmaline crystal, only those vibrations of light pass through the crystal that are parallel to the polarizer's axis, resulting in plane polarised light with vibrations in one plane.