Polarization: Feynman's Physics Explained
Light is a transverse wave: its electric field oscillates perpendicular to the direction it travels. Polarization is simply the direction of that oscillation. Like shaking a rope through a picket fence, where only the up-and-down shakes get through, a Polaroid filter passes oscillations in one direction and absorbs the perpendicular ones. The very fact that light can be polarized is proof that it is a transverse wave.
The big idea
Light's wiggle has a direction, and filters can pick it out.
Think about it
Why do polarized sunglasses cut glare from a wet road or a lake?
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