BRAINCAKEPlane Polarisation
Light is a transverse wave: the oscillations (of the electric and magnetic fields) are perpendicular to the direction in which the wave travels and transfers energy.
In unpolarised light, such as light from the Sun, a filament lamp or a candle, the oscillations occur in many different planes, all perpendicular to the direction of travel.
In plane polarised light the oscillations are confined to one plane only, a plane that contains the direction of travel of the wave. For light, the plane of polarisation is usually described by the direction of the electric field oscillation.
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More in Optics
- The Power of Twin Lenses
- Forming an Image
- Image Calculations
- Magnification
- Polarising Filters
- Polarisation by Reflection and Refraction
- Exam-style Question 1
- Exam-style Question 2
All 21 lessons in Optics · All Edexcel AS-level Physics topics