What happens to white light when it passes through a prism?

When white light passes through a prism, it undergoes a process known as dispersion. This occurs because the different wavelengths of light that make up white light are refracted, or bent, by varying amounts as they enter and exit the prism. The prism's glass has a different refractive index for different wavelengths of light, which causes shorter wavelengths (like blue and violet light) to bend more than longer wavelengths (like red light). As a result, the white light spreads out into a spectrum of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. This dispersion is what creates the visible spectrum from white light, allowing us to see the different colors.