Scattered light in the atmosphere is often partially polarized. The best way to determine whether or not light from a particular direction in the sky shows polarization is to
A) diffract the light through a single slit.
B) squint while looking in that direction.
C) rotate a piece of polaroid film about an axis parallel to the ray while looking through it in that sky direction.
D) rotate a piece of polaroid film about an axis perpendicular to the ray while looking through it in that sky direction.
E) reflect the rays from that direction on a shiny metal surface.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best way to determine polarization is to rotate a piece of polaroid film about an axis parallel to the ray while looking through it in that sky direction. This is because polaroid filters out light that is polarized in a certain direction, and by rotating the filter, we can determine if the light from the sky is polarized in any specific direction. If the light is fully polarized, then the intensity of the light passing through the filter will vary depending on the angle of rotation.

Scattered Light in the Atmosphere Is Often Partially Polarized