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Conceptual Questions · Q5

Q.Why is yellow light preferred during fog?

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Step 1. Fog consists of tiny water droplets suspended in air; light passing through fog is scattered by these droplets, and (for droplets small enough to behave in a Rayleigh-like way) shorter wavelengths are scattered more strongly than longer ones.

Step 2. Ordinary white or blue-rich headlight beams, containing a large proportion of short-wavelength light, are scattered heavily by fog droplets -- much of this scattered light bounces straight back towards the driver's own eyes, creating a bright, blinding glare that obscures rather than illuminates the road ahead.

Step 3. Yellow light has a comparatively longer wavelength than blue or white light, so it is scattered considerably less by the same fog droplets; more of the yellow light continues travelling forward in a usable, directional beam rather than scattering back towards the driver. …

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