When white sunlight passes through a vase made of cut lead crystal, the light that emerges is often separated into brilliant colors. This coloration is due to the fact that
A) red light moves faster in lead crystal than violet light does.
B) lead crystal absorbs violet light more strongly than it absorbs red light.
C) red light experiences stronger Rayleigh scattering in lead crystal than violet light does.
D) lead crystal absorbs red light more strongly than it absorbs violet light.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Red light moves faster in lead crystal than violet light does, which is why when sunlight passes through lead crystal, the light is dispersed into its component colors. This phenomenon is due to the variation in the speed of different colors of light in the medium, a principle underlying the dispersion of light.

When White Sunlight Passes Through a Vase Made of Cut