Correct Option
The correct option is (c) 2 and 3 only.
Explanation
Newton's Disc is a physics demonstration used to illustrate the composition of white light. It operates on the principle of additive color mixing facilitated by the physiological phenomenon of the persistence of vision.
Statement-wise Analysis
- Statement 1 is Incorrect: A Newton's Disc is not painted with black and white sectors. It is a circular disc divided into sectors painted with the seven constituent colors of the visible spectrum (VIBGYOR: Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red).
- Statement 2 is Correct: When the disc is rotated rapidly, the human eye cannot distinguish the individual colored sectors separately. Due to the persistence of vision, the images of the different colors overlap on the retina, and the brain perceives the combined effect as white (or a greyish-white).
- Statement 3 is Correct: The experiment demonstrates that white light is not a single color but a combination of seven distinct colors. It effectively acts as the reverse of the prism experiment, where a prism disperses white light into a spectrum; Newton's Disc recombines them visually.
Key Takeaway: Newton's Disc validates the composite nature of white light by recombining the seven spectral colors into white through rapid rotation and the persistence of vision.