Final answer:
Edwin Land invented the polarizing filter, which allows light of a specific polarization to pass through. This invention is based on aligning long molecules in one direction, acting as multiple slits and is integral in various optical applications.
Step-by-step explanation:
Edwin Land, the innovative founder of Polaroid Corporation, invented materials that function as a polarizing filter. These filters serve as a sort of polarizing slit for light, whereby they allow light waves with only a particular polarization to pass through. Polarizing filters consist of long molecules aligned in parallel, and when we imagine these molecules as multiple slits, similar to the ones used in oscillating rope experiments, we can comprehend why such filters only permit light with certain polarization properties to come through. The axis of a polarizing filter is essentially the direction along which the filter allows the electric field component of an electromagnetic (EM) wave to be transmitted.
These polarizing filters are crucial in various applications such as photography to reduce glare and reflections, and in scientific apparatus to control and analyze light. Edwin Land's invention is also fundamentally connected to his work on color vision, where he developed the retinex theory that suggests how the eye and brain work together to perceive colors in varying lighting conditions. The theory includes an explanation of how we can perceive a white tablecloth as white even if it is illuminated by candlelight, which generally casts a reddish hue.