27.7 Understanding Light Polarization Concepts

What is polarization of light?

• The process by which light increases in speed

• The orientation of the oscillations of the electric field in a specific direction

• The splitting of light into different colors

• The absorption of light by a material

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Which of the following best describes unpolarized light?

• Light with electric field oscillations in only one direction

• Light with electric field oscillations in all possible directions perpendicular to the direction of propagation

• Light that cannot be transmitted through any material

• Light that is completely absorbed by a polarizer

Which method can polarize light by allowing only vibrations in a single plane to pass through?

• Absorption

• Reflection

• Refraction

• Diffraction

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What is the main mechanism behind polarization by absorption?

• Light is bent as it passes through a medium

• Only the component of light vibrating parallel to the transmission axis passes through

• Light is scattered in all directions

• Light is split into its component colors

Which of the following is a real-world application of polarized light?

• Cooking food

• Sunglasses that reduce glare

• Increasing the speed of sound

• Making objects heavier

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Which of the following is NOT a method of polarizing light?

• Absorption

• Reflection

• Scattering

• Diffusion

When unpolarized light is reflected at a certain angle from a non-metallic surface, what type of light is produced?

• Circularly polarized light

• Unpolarized light

• Partially or completely polarized light

• Infrared light

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What is the main difference between polarized and unpolarized light?

• Polarized light travels faster

• Polarized light has electric field oscillations in a single direction, while unpolarized light has oscillations in all directions perpendicular to propagation

• Unpolarized light is invisible

• Polarized light is always red

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A beam of unpolarized light passes through a polarizing filter. What is the intensity of the transmitted light compared to the original?

• The same as the original

• Half of the original intensity

• Double the original intensity

• Zero

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Which of the following best explains why polarized sunglasses reduce glare from horizontal surfaces?

• They absorb all light

• They block vertically polarized light

• They block horizontally polarized light, which is the main component of reflected glare

• They increase the intensity of light

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