What does polarization mean?
Polarization is the restriction of a transverse wave's oscillation directions to a particular orientation or organized state.
Physical mechanism and core principles
A linear polarizer transmits only the selected component of light's electric field. Rotating a second filter changes transmitted intensity with angle.
Evidence, applications and limits
Partial polarization of reflected light reduces glare in sunglasses, and LCDs also use polarization. Longitudinal sound waves cannot be polarized in the same way. Quantitative interpretation must state boundary conditions, units and ideal-model assumptions.
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