The color of light is determined by its wavelength, with shorter wavelengths corresponding to colors like blue and violet, and longer wavelengths corresponding to colors like red and orange. When light passes from one medium to another, such as from air to a denser medium like water or glass, different wavelengths of light can be refracted to varying degrees.
The rate of refraction, or the amount of bending that occurs when light crosses the boundary between two mediums, is determined by the refractive indices of those mediums. The refractive index is a measure of how much the speed of light is reduced in a particular medium compared to its speed in a vacuum.
In general, when light passes from a less dense medium (lower refractive index) to a more dense medium (higher refractive index), it slows down and bends towards the normal, which is an imaginary line perpendicular to the boundary surface. The amount of bending, or the angle of refraction, depends on the change in speed of light as it enters the new medium.
The refractive index of a medium depends on its optical properties, including its density and the interaction of light with its constituent particles. In most transparent materials, the refractive index decreases with increasing wavelength. This means that light with shorter wavelengths (such as blue and violet) will experience a higher rate of refraction compared to light with longer wavelengths (such as red and orange) when passing from a less dense medium to a more dense medium.
So, in the context of refraction, the color of light with a low wavelength (such as blue and violet) will generally have a higher rate of refraction because the refractive index of the medium decreases with increasing wavelength. This phenomenon is known as dispersion, where different colors of light are refracted at different angles, leading to the separation of white light into its constituent colors, as observed in phenomena like rainbows.
It's worth noting that the exact relationship between the refractive index and wavelength can vary depending on the specific material and the characteristics of its optical properties.