Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 9: Problem 12

Just before the Sun sets, a driver encounters sunlight reflecting off the side of a building. Will Polaroid sunglasses stop this glare? Why?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Why or why not? Answer: Yes, Polaroid sunglasses can effectively stop glare caused by sunlight reflecting off the side of a building. This is because they are designed to block horizontally-polarized light, which is the main component of glare in this situation.

Step by step solution

01

Understand how Polaroid sunglasses work

Polaroid sunglasses are designed to block out horizontally-polarized light. This is because glare is mainly horizontally polarized, which means that the oscillations of light waves in glare are primarily in the horizontal direction. By filtering out horizontally-polarized light, Polaroid sunglasses can effectively reduce glare.
02

Determine the polarization of reflected sunlight

When sunlight reflects off a flat, non-metallic surface like a building, it becomes partially polarized. In particular, the horizontal component of light becomes dominant, as the vertical components cancels out due to reflection from the flat surface. This results in horizontally-polarized glare.
03

Assess the effectiveness of Polaroid sunglasses in this situation

Since the glare caused by sunlight reflecting off the building is horizontally polarized, Polaroid sunglasses should be able to stop this glare. The sunglasses will block the horizontally-polarized light and allow only the vertically-polarized light to pass through, reducing the glare that the driver experiences. In conclusion, Polaroid sunglasses will effectively stop the glare caused by sunlight reflecting off the side of a building because they are designed to block horizontally-polarized light, which is the main component of glare in this situation.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

The speed of light in a certain kind of glass is exactly the same as the speed of light in benzene-a liquid. Describe what happens when light passes from benzene into this glass, and vice versa.

The difference in speed between red light and violet light in glass is smaller than the difference in speed between the same two colors in a certain type of plastic. For which material, glass or plastic, would the angular spread of the two colored rays after entering the material obliquely from air be the largest? Why?

Suppose an explosion at a glass factory caused it to "rain" tiny spheres made of glass. Would the resulting rainbow be different from the normal one? If so, how might it be different and why?

Compared to a person's height, what is the minimum length (top to bottom) of a mirror that will allow the person to see a complete image from head to toe?

The cover of a book appears blue when illuminated with white light. What color will it appear in blue light? Red light? Explain.
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

Physical Quantities And Units

Read Explanation

Dynamics

Read Explanation

Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction

Read Explanation

Electricity

Read Explanation

Quantum Physics

Read Explanation

Engineering Physics

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free