A cut diamond shines brilliantly due to:

Detailed Solution:

The correct answer is “total internal reflection”.

A cut diamond shines brilliantly due to total internal reflection.

Diamonds have a high refractive index, meaning they bend light significantly. When light enters a diamond and strikes its internal facets at a specific angle, it undergoes total internal reflection.

This means the light bounces back inside the diamond instead of escaping, creating multiple reflections and a dazzling display of light.