Sunlight reflected from the surface of a lake
A) is unpolarized.
B) has undergone refraction by the surface of the lake.
C) is totally polarized.
D) tends to be polarized with its electric field vector parallel to the surface of the lake.
E) tends to be polarized with its electric field vector perpendicular to the surface of the lake.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sunlight reflected from the surface of a lake tends to be polarized with its electric field vector parallel to the surface. This phenomenon is described by Brewster's law, which states that light reflected at a certain angle (the Brewster angle) from a transparent material will be polarized parallel to the surface.

Sunlight Reflected from the Surface of a Lake