Applications of Polarized Light

• Polaroids are used in sun glasses. They reduce the intensity and the glare by cutting down the horizontally polarized light.

• Polarized light is used in photo elastic stress analysis.

• For 3-D view, special type of glasses, which have polaroids with perpendicular axes, are used.

• Polarized light is useful to determine size and shape of viruses.

• This polarized light finds many practical applications in industry and engineering science.

Uses of Polaroids

Polaroids polarize light. A number of needle shaped crystals quinine iodosulphate with their axes parallel to one another are packed between two sheets of plastic. This arrangement serves as the polaroids.

The important uses are:

• These reduce excess glare and hence sun glasses are fitted with Polaroid sheets.

• These are also used to reduce headlight glare of cars.

• They are used to improve color contrast in old oil paintings.

• These are useful in 3-D motion pictures i.e., holography.

• Wind shields of automobiles are also made of Polaroid sheets.