In: Physics
Light reflected off a horizontal surface will be
a) partially polarized with the plane of polarization
vertical
b) partially polarized with the plane of polarization
horizontal
c) completely polarized
d) completely unpolarized
Answer (C) . completely polarized
When light reflects off a flat, horizontal surface like the ground or a lake, the surface tends to reflect light in which electric field is vibrating along (parallel) to the surface and to transmit or absorb light with electric field vibrating in other directions. As a result, the reflected light becomes polarized.