Which of the following phenomena is characteristic ONLY of transverse waves and NOT of longitudinal waves?
A{'text': 'Reflection', 'label': 'A'}
B{'text': 'Polarisation', 'label': 'B'}
C{'text': 'Diffraction', 'label': 'C'}
D{'text': 'Refraction', 'label': 'D'}
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. {'text': 'Polarisation', 'label': 'B'}
1. Reflection, refraction and diffraction occur for both wave types.
2. Polarisation restricts the plane of vibration to one direction.
3. Longitudinal waves oscillate parallel to propagation and have no such freedom.
4. Polarisation therefore proves the wave nature of light AND that it is transverse.
_Source: NCERT Class 12 Physics, Ch 10 "Wave Optics", §10.7_
Related questions
Newton originally supported the corpuscular theory of light. The wave theory was strongly In a Young's double-slit experiment, a thin transparent sheet of thickness t and refractivCoherent sources are those that emit waves ofIf polarised light of intensity I passes through a polariser whose axis makes angle θ withAn unpolarised light of intensity I₀ passes through a polariser. The transmitted intensityThe polarising angle (Brewster angle) for glass of refractive index 1.5 isThe width of the central maximum in single-slit diffraction on a screen at distance D isFor diffraction at a single slit of width a, the angular position of the first minimum is