Kaplan Nursing Entrance Practice Exam

What is white light composed of?

1. Infrared rays

2. The colors of the visible spectrum

3. Ultraviolet rays

4. X-rays

The correct answer is: The colors of the visible spectrum

White light is composed of the colors of the visible spectrum, which includes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. When these colors are combined, they create what we perceive as white light. This phenomenon can be demonstrated through the use of a prism, which refracts light and separates it into the individual colors, illustrating that white light is not a single color but a combination of several wavelengths. Other forms of light, such as infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, or X-rays, are part of the broader electromagnetic spectrum but fall outside of the visible range that constitutes white light. Infrared rays are primarily associated with heat and do not contribute to the perception of colors as visible light does. Ultraviolet rays have shorter wavelengths and can cause effects such as sunburn, while X-rays are used in medical imaging and do not play a role in visible light perception. Therefore, the correct understanding of white light is that it embodies the complete spectrum of visible colors.