Question

Suppose that sunlight is incident upon both a pair of reading glasses and a pair of sunglasses. Which pair would you expect to be warmer, and why?

Answer 1

Answer: the pair of sunglasses

Explanation:

A good pair of sunglasses are composed of abosorbent lenses that filter the sunlight that affects the eyes retina, especially ultraviolet (UV). So, these sunglasses are used to reduce the amount of light or radiant energy transmitted.

On the other hand, normal reading glasses (in which the lens glass has not been treated to filter ultraviolet sunlight) will let UV rays pass through.

Therefore, if both glasses are exposed to sunlight, the sunglasses are expected to be warmer by absorbing that radiant energy and preventing it from reaching the eyes.