Light dispersion through a window glass

[fawk3s]

Light gets dispersed into different colors in a window glass, just like in a glass prism, but the different colors exit the glass at the same angle. We can't see this phenomenon in a glass window because the distance between the different color lightrays is too small for our eyes to detect, or am I wrong?
If I am not wrong, should we be able to see the phenomenon if we took an enough thick piece of flat glass?

Thanks in advance,
fawk3s

 

[Drakkith]

Without being an optics expert I would say your idea is correct. The light should disperse upon entry into the medium and upon exit it would be bent back to its original angle but shifted slightly. I'll see if I can test this somehow if I remember to, I have a red and a green laser I can use.

 

[fawk3s]

Thanks, I would very much appreciate it.

 

[spareine]

For example, take a glass plate with a thickness of 10 mm thick. The index of refraction is 1.51 for red, 1.52 for blue. The angle of incidence is 45 degrees. Use Snell's law. The difference for the exit points of red and blue is 0,05 mm. That is hard to detect.

Now take an aquarium with a 'thickness' of 300 mm. The index of refraction is 1.331 for red, 1.343 for blue. The angle of incidence is 45 degrees. The difference for the exit points of red and blue is 3 mm. It should be possible to observe that.

 

[sardar]

I can confirm that the phenomenon of light dispersion through a window glass is indeed similar to what happens in a glass prism. This is due to the fact that glass, like a prism, has a high refractive index, causing light to bend and separate into its component colors.

However, I would like to clarify that the distance between the different color light rays in a window glass is not too small for our eyes to detect. In fact, our eyes are able to detect very small differences in color and can perceive the different colors of the visible spectrum. The reason we do not see this phenomenon in a glass window is because the thickness of the glass is not enough to cause a significant separation of the colors.

To answer your question, if we were to take a thick enough piece of flat glass, we would indeed be able to see the phenomenon of light dispersion. This is because the thicker the glass, the greater the separation of the colors. However, it is important to note that this separation would still be minimal compared to what we see in a glass prism.

In summary, the phenomenon of light dispersion through a window glass is a result of the glass's refractive index and thickness, but it is not typically noticeable to the human eye due to the relatively small thickness of window glass.