Concepts

Polarization, microwaves

Overview

Polarized microwaves can pass or be filtered by slitted metal plates.

Details

Equipment

• [1] Microwave emitter and AC adapter
• [1] Microwave receiver and speaker
• [1] Component holder
• [1] Metal plate
• [2] Polarizer plate

Classroom Assembly

1. Plug in the emitter and turn on the receiver.
2. Align the emitter, receiver, and metal plate so that the microwaves reflect off the plate and into the receiver.
3. Turn off the receiver.

Script

1. Turn on the receiver to show that microwaves bounce off "mirrors," like visible light.
2. Rotate a single polarizer plate in front of the emitter to show the angle dependence.
3. Rotate two crossed polarizer plates in front of the emitter to show this blocks microwaves.
4. Turn off the receiver and unplug the emitter.

Additional Resources