- #1
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splitting white light, and turns out refraction is... complicated
Or when you look for a clip art of a prism
Click For Summary
Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the concept of prisms, particularly focusing on the complexities of refraction, the possibility of creating prisms with negative indices of refraction, and the quality of related illustrations. Participants explore various aspects of prisms, including their applications in experiments and their representation in popular culture.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Debate/contested
- Technical explanation
- Experimental/applied
Main Points Raised
- Some participants note that refraction is complicated when splitting white light.
- There is a repeated inquiry about the feasibility of creating a prism with a negative index of refraction, with some participants referencing existing materials on the topic.
- One participant mentions the use of air-filled prisms in a freshman physics lab, highlighting their application in experimental settings.
- Concerns are raised regarding the quality of illustrations related to prisms, with some participants expressing disappointment over inaccuracies in published materials.
- There are discussions about the popularity of certain representations of prisms, with claims about their recognition worldwide being met with skepticism.
- Clarifications are made regarding the terminology used, with a participant correcting another about the use of "lenses" instead of "senses" in the context of optics.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express multiple competing views regarding the creation of prisms with negative indices of refraction and the accuracy of illustrations. The discussion remains unresolved on these points.
Contextual Notes
Some claims rely on specific definitions and assumptions about optical principles, and there are unresolved mathematical steps related to the discussion of light dispersion and Kramers-Kronig relations.
- #2
jedishrfu
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Will the real Mr Prism please step forward?
- #3
Hornbein
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Would it be possible to make a prism with a negative index of refraction?
- #4
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Hornbein said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative-index_metamaterial
(not that I understand details, I just know they exist)
- #5
DrGreg
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One of those images must be a triangular hole through a large block of glass.
- #6
Vanadium 50
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Used them - well, actually senses, but the same idea - in a freshman physics lab I taught. They are air filled, and you make the measurements in a water tank. Concave is focusing.Hornbein said:
- #7
Frabjous
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Last edited:
- #8
gmax137
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I read somewhere recently, that is the most widely recognized "logo" worldwide.Frabjous said:I think this is the most popular version
- #9
jedishrfu
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Its sad to see that the illustrations are either poor or flat out wrong and that they got published anyway.
- #10
Vanadium 50
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gmax137 said:
I'm not sure I buy that. There's some stiff competition.gmax137 said:
- #11
hutchphd
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I presume you meant lenses.Vanadium 50 said:
I recall teaching a sound lab using convex mylar helium filled balloons in air as diverging lenses.
There are general principles that make the light dispersion itself monotonic. As I recall this follows from the Kramers-Kronig relations.
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Vanadium 50
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Yes, thanks.hutchphd said:
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