| Date | November 2012 | Marks available | 1 | Reference code | 12N.1.HL.TZ0.18 |
| Level | Higher level | Paper | Paper 1 | Time zone | Time zone 0 |
| Command term | Question number | 18 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Unpolarized light is incident on the surface of a transparent medium. The reflected light is completely plane polarized. The refracted light will be
A. unpolarized.
B. partially plane polarized.
C. completely plane polarized at right angles to the reflected light.
D. completely plane polarized parallel to the reflected light.
Markscheme
B
Examiners report
Candidates found this question to be the most challenging on the paper. At the Brewster angle the reflected light is plane polarized but that does not mean that the transmitted (refracted) light is plane polarized. There will still be some light in the same plane of vibration as the reflected light but there will now be less of it. The transmitted light is therefore partially plane polarized.
