Conceptual Physics (12th Edition)

Published by Addison-Wesley
ISBN 10: 0321909100
ISBN 13: 978-0-32190-910-7

Chapter 29 - Think and Explain - Page 560-561: 55

Answer

View the glare from the lake surface to determine the polarization axis.

Work Step by Step

If the reflective surface is nonmetallic, much of the reflected light is polarized. The polarization direction is parallel to the direction of the reflecting surface. In the case of a lake surface, the reflected light will be polarized horizontally. This is discussed on page 556, and diagrammed in Figure 29.33. If you view the glare off the lake surface, the glare is most intense when the polarization axis is horizontal.
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