WHAT MAKES POLARIZED LENSES SO PROTECTIVE BY:ALISTAIR FLYNN WHAT MAKES POLARIZED LENSES SO PROTECTIVE BY:ALISTAIR FLYNN

INTRODUCTION What exactly do polarized lenses do for you? This question can be simply answered; they protect your eyes from the dangerous UV rays of the sun. But the question that many people wonder is how exactly do they work. What causes this protection that is especially needed in Florida?

SCIENCE When traveling, light waves move transversely as electromagnetic waves. This means that as they move, they vibrate. Fluorescent lights, candle light, and the sun create natural, visible light meaning that they vibrate in random directions. Polarized vibrations move in vibrations parallel to the polarizing lines. In order to polarize lenses lines are made across them parallel to each other to counter act the perpendicular motion of the light waves. Light will only ever pass through the polarized lenses when the polarization axes are parallel but not when they are at a right angle to each other. This allows only a few of the light waves to enter through your lenses causing greater protection for your eyes.

POLARIZED This image above is an example of polarized light. This shows the vertical vibrations that,when hit by the polarized lenses, are canceled out.

UNPOLARIZED This image shows naturally un-polarized light. The vibrations, as you can see, move in all different directions.

As stated before light travels in vibrations. This image shows you exactly how polarized lenses work. A right angle of the vibrations and the lines is what in turn cancels out the harmful rays. HOW IT WORKS

VOCABULARY Polarization- The aligning of vibrations in a transverse wave, usually filtering out waves of other directions. Vertical- Up and down Horizontal- Side to side right to left Electromagnetic Waves- A wave that is partly electric and partly magnetic and carries energy. Emitted by vibrating electric charges. Transverse- Vibrations at right angles to the direction the wave is traveling.

SURVEY

RELATED LINKS THE FOLLOWING SIGHTS WERE USED TO HELP GATHER INFORMATION ON POLARIZATION Mrs. Pecks Home This website has great links to other scientific websites Physics Classroom This website provides good information to help learn about polarization Wikipedia This website provides well written (although sometimes confusing) information on polarization