Polarization Maze

Polarization Maze/Ball Maze - Science Museum Exhibits Scheme

What It Shows

Exhibition items showcase the polarization characteristics of light and the working principle of polarizers to the audience through interactive means. The exhibition booth is filled with a maze composed of pipes, which has multiple entrances. When interacting, when moving the ball, it will be found that some balls in the cylinder can pass through the baffle, while others cannot pass through the baffle. In fact, this is a visual error for people; Some cylindrical walls are attached with polarizing film, which looks like a baffle, but in fact there is no baffle, and small balls can pass through; Some cylinders have real baffles that prevent small balls from passing through.

Science Behind It

We placed two perpendicular polarizing plates inside the maze, allowing only light parallel to the polarization direction to pass through while filtering out light vibrating in other directions. When light shines on two polarizing plates that are perpendicular to each other, a dark area is formed due to the inability to pass through that area, which looks like a virtual wall is formed. So there is the polarized maze in front of us, which combines real and fake walls.

form of expression

Mechanical interaction

How to Operate

1. Use magnets to control the movement of the ball;

2. Compare who can move the ball to the center the fastest.

Knowledge extension

Humans have been building mazes for over 5000 years. Scientists believe that a maze is a place where many winding passages are separated by a wall. People must do everything possible to walk from the entrance to the exit.

The polarization maze has four entrances. Four people are required to start from the four corners of the entrance, and then use a strong magnet to attach the rubber covered iron ball under the glass to the desktop glass, causing the iron ball to move along the path they have determined. See who can quickly introduce the iron ball into the small hole in the middle. People will definitely encounter a difficult problem when choosing a path. Some places that look like walls are real walls, while others are fake walls that look like walls. This has caused us some difficulties in choosing our path. How are these wonderful fake walls made? In fact, we placed two vertical polarizers on these fake walls. After passing through the polarizer, natural light becomes light with a certain vibration direction. This is because there is a specific characteristic direction in the polarizing plate, which is called the polarization direction. Polarizers only allow vibrations parallel to the polarization direction to pass through and filter out light that vibrates perpendicular to that direction. When light shines on two mutually perpendicular polarizers, it cannot pass through that area, forming a dark area that looks like a virtual wall. Therefore, what lies before us is a polarization maze that combines real and fake walls.

Polarization is increasingly being used. For example, the brown gray glass on the front window of a car is also a polarizing mirror that can prevent direct sunlight from shining into the driver's eyes. Secondly, we can also use polarizing plates to make 3D glasses, so that the images we see will be more three-dimensional. To reduce reflection, the camera lens will maintain polarization mode.