Physics A-Level
Polarisation
What Polarisation means in Physics A-Level, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of Polarisation
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
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Reference: OCR
Shows that transverse waves oscillate in one plane, and the procedures demonstrate that microwaves and light are transverse waves because their oscillations can be restricted to one plane.
A property that occurs only for transverse waves, recognised once the type of wave is correctly identified.
A property electromagnetic waves can show because they are transverse.
The restriction of a transverse wave's oscillations to one plane.
Topics that use Polarisation
- Electromagnetic waves (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Longitudinal and transverse waves (AQA A-Level)
- Wave motion (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- Compressions and rarefactions
- Longitudinal wave
- Transverse wave
- Amplitude
- Classification of waves
- Diffraction and gap-to-wavelength ratio
- Displacement
- Displacement–distance graph
Using Polarisation in the exam
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