What is the difference between polarized and unpolarized light?

Polarized Light:

• The electric field vibrations of the light waves are confined to a single plane or a specific direction.
• This means the light waves oscillate in one direction only (e.g., vertical, horizontal, or circular).
• It can be produced by reflection, refraction, or by passing light through a polarizing filter.
• Polarized light is useful in many applications like reducing glare, 3D movies, and stress analysis.

Unpolarized Light:

• The electric field vibrations occur in multiple planes, randomly oriented.
• The light waves oscillate in all possible directions perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
• Most natural light sources, like sunlight or light bulbs, emit unpolarized light.
• It has no specific orientation of its electric field vector.