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    $\begingroup$ An even cheaper option is a simple water prism, which you can make with a shallow dish of water and a mirror small enough to lie in the dish at an angle, so that the water above the mirror forms a wedge shape. Water has a lower refractive index than glass, but it has higher dispersion (i.e., a greater relative difference between the speeds that red & violet travel through the medium). It's easy to make quite large spectra with a water prism. It can be helpful to have another mirror to direct the sunlight into the water at a good angle. $\endgroup$
    – PM 2Ring
    Commented Feb 11, 2021 at 3:25
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    $\begingroup$ What, then, is the best computer representation of the visible light spectrum? $\endgroup$
    – Alex
    Commented Feb 11, 2021 at 3:51
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    $\begingroup$ First you have to calibrate your monitor. photographylife.com/the-basics-of-monitor-calibration At that point, colors within the gamut triangle will be accurately represented. Then, generate an approximation using e.g. methods in stackoverflow.com/questions/3407942/… $\endgroup$
    – prolyx
    Commented Feb 11, 2021 at 4:04
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    $\begingroup$ With a prism you'll get quite a crude representation of the spectrum: basically a convolution of the actual spectrum with the box function corresponding to projected width of the prism. Better use a spectroscope. $\endgroup$
    – Ruslan
    Commented Feb 11, 2021 at 7:38
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    $\begingroup$ @PM2Ring ..., add a case and thus get a DIY spectroscope :D $\endgroup$
    – Ruslan
    Commented Feb 11, 2021 at 9:32