I made a mess of my windshield this morning when the fluid was frozen and
the wipers made a streaked smear before my very eyes. Oncoming cars and
taillights ahead created a wonderful pattern of elongated "rays" that ran
to the center of the arc. I tried to explain this phenomenon to myself but
was never satisfied with my answer. I was thinking some kind of
diffraction effect but can not put all together. So..Can anyone help me
out? Please.
Ken Fox
AP/IB Physics Teacher
Smoky Hill High School
Aurora, CO