Answer the following questions: The refractive index of diamond is much greater than that of ordinary glass. Is this fact of some use to a diamond cutter?

Yes
The refractive index of diamond (2.42) is more than that of ordinary glass (1.5). The critical angle for diamond is less than that for glass. A diamond cutter uses a large angle of incidence to ensure that the light entering the diamond is totally reflected from its faces. This is the reason for the sparkling effect of a diamond.

Thanks and Regards

Apoorva Arora

IIT Roorkee

askIITians Faculty