What is the reason that the windows of ships' bridges are always inclined as shown in the above picture?
[Physics] Why are the windows of bridges of ships always inclined
everyday-lifeoptics
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When light gets reflected from a dielectric surface (like the glass of your windshield), the two polarization components of the light don't get reflected by the same amount. The coefficients of reflections for both polarizations are called the Fresnel coefficients. More details here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresnel_coefficients
According to these expressions, there is even an incidence angle where one of the polarization components is completely transmitted. This angle is called the Brewster angle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster%27s_angle
For example, if the angle of incidence of light on the windshield is at the Brewster angle, only one polarization will be (partly) reflected. This means that this reflected beam has a well defined (theoretical) linear polarization.
If your glasses are oriented to filter this remaining polarization component, you will not see any reflection from the sun through your glasses.
When you tilt your head, you tilt the polarization axis and some light will pass through again. The intensity transmitted is given by the squared sine of the angle between the polarization of the light and the axis of your polarizer.
This is also why photographers sometimes use polarizing filters to take pictures—to enhance or reduce these reflections.
Edit to answer your edited question : As you can see from the first WP link, there's a fairly large band of incidence angles for which one polarization is reflected much more than the other one. That alone could explain why so many object polarize so well the reflected light you see.
An additional factor I can think of, would be that for an object to reflect light towards your eyes, it has to be at a specific angle. Depending on the position of the sun in the sky and yours relative to the object, it is not surprising that a large amount of objects reflecting light towards you are somehow not too far from the Brewster angle.
Why not finding a flat piece of glass (a watch for instance ?) and experimenting for yourself. Don't burn your eyes with the sun though !
The reason is because the heat loss occurs mostly in the windows and the fenestration. The idea is that you would like the incoming air to be heated up. Also, it creates an air curtain that prevents more heat from being lost through these exposed areas. Finally, it makes the temperature of the room more or less uniform. If the heaters were placed at the center of the room, you would create a large temperature gradient, resulting in drafts and discomfort for the occupant.
Best Answer
Look at CandiedOrange's answer
This answer was accepted, but CandiedOrange has the right answer. See this document page 21:
It controls glare. Whenever the sun hits a window, it reflects off of it. If the windows are vertical, its pretty hard to control where that glint could go. When the sun is near the horizon, it could even be seen by other ships, but at the very least it can blind workers on your own ship.Angling them doesn't prevent this from happening entirely, but it does substantially limit the places on the ship which can be hit by this glint to a small region around the bridge itself.
This requirement appears in specifications such as these regulations from the UK:
These same rules are also applied to air traffic control towers at airports: