Polarized light

​Light is a transverse wave

• Electromagnetic transverse waves behave differently than other transverse waves.

• Light waves vibrate in multiple planes at the same time.

• Light coming from the sun, lamps, candles, ect, are vibrating in multiple planes and are referred to as unpolarized light.

• It is possible to transform unpolarized light into polarized light.

• The most common way to polarize light is by using a filter.

Light can be completed blocked by using two filters

One filter will filter the horizontal rays, the other the vertical.

​Uses of polarization

• Glare reducing sunglasses

• Stress tests on clear plastics

• 3D movies

​What is happening here?

When light passes through plastic (such as cellophane tape) each color of light is polarized with its own orientation.

As the picture is turned the different wavelengths can pass through the filter.