Which one of the following optical phenomena supports that the light is a transverse wave?

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

UPSC NDA-II (General Ability) Official Paper-I (Held On: 03 Sept, 2023)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Polarization.

Key Points

Light is a transverse, electromagnetic wave that can be seen by a normal human.
- The wave nature of light was first characterized through experiments on diffraction and interference.
- Like all electromagnetic waves, light can travel through a vacuum.
- The transverse nature of light can be demonstrated through polarization.
- The phenomenon of confining the vibrations of light waves in a particular plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation of wave motion is called polarization.
- Polarization explains the wave nature of light, because light waves are polarized in a particular plane.
- Longitudinal waves cannot be polarized. Therefore, the transverse wave can only be polarized.

Additional Information

Phenomenon	Definition
Diffraction	Diffraction is the spreading of waves as they pass through an aperture or around objects. This occurs when the size of the hole or obstacle is of the same order of magnitude as the wavelength of the incident wave. For very small aperture sizes, most of the wave is blocked.
Refraction	The bending of a wave when it passes from one medium to another is called refraction After refraction wave velocity changes.
Interference	The phenomenon in which two or more waves superimpose to give a resultant wave with different amplitude.