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Animation
of A Polarized Light Wave
The wave
is propagating (traveling) along the z-axis. As you can see, the
magnetic field part of the wave oscillates (wags back and forth)
along the y-axis (in our diagram, in and out from the screen) and
the electric field part of the wave oscillates along the x-axis
(up and down on the screen).
Some things
to notice:
- The two parts of the
wave are in phase: they meet at the center.
- The two parts of the
wave have the exact same wavelength, frequency, and amplitude;
They are, in fact, parts of a single wave.
- One part of the wave
is a reddish brown and another part is grayish blue. This has
nothing to do with anything.
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