Chapter 16.2, Problem 26SSC

To determine

The direction of the polarizing axis of polarizing sunglasses to reduce the glare from the surface of a road, vertically or horizontally.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

Polarization is the property of an optical system, which obstructs the oscillating field of an electromagnetic wave in one coordinate axis.

The light emitted from the ground surface is partially polarized along the plane of the road. It is the light reflected from the surface of the ground which has the vibrations parallel to the surface of the path.When it moves through another polarizing glass whose polarizing pole in the polarized light is held perpendicular to the direction of the vibration, then polarized light is absorbed.To capture this polarized light, provided the reflected light from the road surface is polarized parallel to the road surface, the polarizing angle of the glasses will be perpendicular to the road plane.Thus, the polarizing glasses transmission axis should be oriented vertically.

Conclusion:Hence, the polarizing glasses transmission axis should be oriented vertically.