A glass prism splits white light into different colours. This phenomenon is called dispersion of light by prism. Which one of the following statements is correct?

Dispersion occurs because white light is composed of different colors with varying wavelengths. When light enters a glass prism, its speed changes depending on the medium's refractive index, which is wavelength-dependent [2]. Shorter wavelengths, such as violet light, experience a higher refractive index compared to longer wavelengths like red light [1]. Consequently, violet light travels more slowly in the glass and undergoes the greatest bending or deviation from its original path. This process is fundamentally a result of refraction—the bending of light as it passes from one medium (air) to another (glass) at an angle. While red light has the maximum wavelength and deviates the least, violet light has the minimum wavelength and deviates the most due to this differential refraction. Therefore, the correct statement is that violet light deviates the most because of refraction.

Sources

1. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK592413/
2. [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispersive_prism