A prism is a wedge-shaped transparent body which causes incident light to be separated by color upon exiting. The separation by color occurs since different colors (corresponding to different wavelengths) of light travel at different speeds in a solid (although at the same speed, namely the speed of light, in a vacuum). As a result, refraction causes the wavefronts of different wavelengths to be deflected different angular amounts. Since "white" light is really a superposition of different wavelengths, the prism therefore has the effect of angularly separating the incident light by color.
Abbe Prism, Constant Deviation Prism, Fresnel's Double Prism, Fresnel Rhomb, Mooney Rhomb, Nicol Prism, Glan-Foucault Prism, Glan-Thompson Prism, Pellin-Broca Prism, Reflecting Prism, Wollaston Prism
