Answer to Question #164094 in Optics for Sama

Question

 Explain why light can be polarized but sound cannot.

Answer 1

Transverse waves can be polarised but longitudinal waves cannot. Unpolarised light is a mixture of waves in different planes. When this light is passed through a polaroid material only light waves in one plane are transmitted and the light is now polarised.

Sound waves, are longitudinal, meaning that they oscillate parallel to the direction of their motion. Since there is no component of a sound wave's oscillation that is perpendicular to its motion, sound waves cannot be polarized.