Question

Diamond has a high index of refraction at about 2.4, which helps account for its sparkle. How fast does light travel through a dia- mond? The speed of light in a vacuum is 3 × 108 m/s. Answer in units of m/s.

Answer 1

`1.25 \cdot 10^8 m/s`

Step-by-step explanation:

The speed of light through a medium is given by:

`v=(c)/(n)`

where

`c = 3 \cdot 10^8 m/s` is the speed of light through vacuum

n is the index of refraction of the material

In this case, diamond has a refractive index of n = 2.4, so the speed of light in diamond is

`v=(3\cdot 10^8 m/s)/(2.4)=1.25\cdot 10^8 m/s`