(Remember, the notion of two planes or directions of vibration is merely a simplification that helps us to visualize the wavelike nature of the electromagnetic wave.) In this sense, a Polaroid serves as a device that filters out one-half of the vibrations upon transmission of the light through the filter. Polaroid filters are made of a special material that is capable of blocking one of the two planes of vibration of an electromagnetic wave. The most common method of polarization involves the use of a Polaroid filter. The four methods discussed on this page are: There are a variety of methods of polarizing light. ![]() The process of transforming unpolarized light into polarized light is known as polarization. Polarized light waves are light waves in which the vibrations occur in a single plane. It is possible to transform unpolarized light into polarized light. In general, it is helpful to picture unpolarized light as a wave that has an average of half its vibrations in a horizontal plane and half of its vibrations in a vertical plane. This concept of unpolarized light is rather difficult to visualize. Such light waves are created by electric charges that vibrate in a variety of directions, thus creating an electromagnetic wave that vibrates in a variety of directions. Light emitted by the sun, by a lamp in the classroom, or by a candle flame is unpolarized light. A light wave that is vibrating in more than one plane is referred to as unpolarized light. Unlike a usual slinky wave, the electric and magnetic vibrations of an electromagnetic wave occur in numerous planes. If a slinky wave were an electromagnetic wave, then the vibrations of the slinky would occur in multiple planes. Yet regardless of their direction of vibration, they would be moving along the same linear direction as you sighted along the slinky. That is, the coils of the slinky might vibrate up and down or left and right. Indeed, the coils of the slinky would be vibrating back and forth as the slinky approached yet these vibrations would occur in a single plane of space. This is quite different than what you might notice if you were to look along a slinky and observe a slinky wave traveling towards you. As an electromagnetic wave traveled towards you, then you would observe the vibrations of the slinky occurring in more than one plane of vibration. Let's suppose that we use the customary slinky to model the behavior of an electromagnetic wave. ![]() The transverse nature of an electromagnetic wave is quite different from any other type of wave that has been discussed in The Physics Classroom Tutorial. For our purposes, it is sufficient to merely say that an electromagnetic wave is a transverse wave that has both an electric and a magnetic component. ![]() The nature of such electromagnetic waves is beyond the scope of The Physics Classroom Tutorial. Light waves are produced by vibrating electric charges. A light wave is an electromagnetic wave that travels through the vacuum of outer space.
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