Polarization is a property of transverse waves that specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. In a transverse wave, the direction of the oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the wave. Polarization is an important parameter in areas of science dealing with transverse waves, such as optics, seismology, radio, and microwaves.
Light is an example of an electromagnetic wave, and it can be polarized. Unpolarized light consists of waves moving in the same direction with their electric vectors pointed in random orientations about the axis of propagation. Plane polarized light consists of waves in which the direction of vibration is the same for all waves. Polarized waves are light waves in which the vibrations occur in a single plane.
The process of transforming unpolarized light into polarized light is known as polarization. There are a variety of methods of polarizing light, including transmission, reflection, scattering, and refraction. Polarization has a wealth of applications, including glare-reducing sunglasses, stress analysis tests on transparent plastics, and 3-D movies.
In summary, polarization is a property of transverse waves that specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. Light is an example of an electromagnetic wave that can be polarized, and the process of transforming unpolarized light into polarized light is known as polarization. Polarization has a variety of applications in different fields of science and technology.
