Why is a 60◦ prism preferred for observing dispersion

सार

Prisms are commonly used in classrooms to study refraction and dispersion, with 60◦ prisms being the most prevalent in school and college laboratories. In this article, we explore the reasons behind their widespread use. Using Cauchy’s law, we determine the refractive indices for violet and red light for a selected prism. Applying Snell’s law and the principle of total internal reflection, we demonstrate that a 60◦ prism provides optimal dispersion, maximizing the separation between red and violet rays over a broad range of incidence angles.