polarization

[poh-ler-uh-zey-shuhn]

noun

1. a sharp division, as of a population or group, into opposing factions.

2. Optics.,  a state, or the production of a state, in which rays of light or similar radiation exhibit different properties in different directions.

3. Electricity.

   1. the deposit of gases, produced during electrolysis, on the electrodes of a cell, increasing the resistance of the cell.

   2. a vector quantity indicating the electric dipole moment per unit of volume of a dielectric.

   3. the induction of polarity in a ferromagnetic substance.

4. the production or acquisition of polarity.

polarization

/ ˌpəʊləraɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. the condition of having or giving polarity

2. physics the process or phenomenon in which the waves of light or other electromagnetic radiation are restricted to certain directions of vibration, usually specified in terms of the electric field vector

polarization

1. A condition in which transverse waves vibrate consistently in a single plane, or along a circle or ellipse. Electromagnetic radiation such as light is composed of transverse waves and can be polarized. Certain kinds of light filters, including sunglasses that reduce glare, work by filtering out light that is polarized in one direction.

2. The displacement of positive and negative electric charge to opposite ends of a nuclear, atomic, molecular, or chemical system, especially by subjection to an electric field. Atoms and molecules have some inherent polarization.

3. An increased resistance to the flow of current in a voltaic cell, caused by chemical reactions at the electrodes. Polarization results in a reduction of the electric potential across the voltaic cell.

polarization

¹

1. The direction in which the electrical field of an electromagnetic wave points.

polarization

²

1. In politics, the grouping of opinions around two extremes: “As the debate continued, the union members were polarized into warring factions.”

Reflected light, such as the light that produces glare on a sunny day, is polarized so that the electrical field is parallel to the ground. Some sunglasses are designed to take advantage of this property by blocking out that particular polarization while allowing other light to come through.

Other Word Forms

• depolarization noun
• repolarization noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of polarization¹

First recorded in 1805–15; polarize + -ation

Example Sentences

Following stories that are important to local communities tends to reduce partisanship and political polarization by encouraging voters to make choices based on how a candidate’s policies might affect local conditions.

From Salon

“This was one of the first big-name criminal cases, but it didn’t have the polarization that, for example, O.J. Simpson had,” Gold said.

From Los Angeles Times

He argued that Democrats’ primary voters were inflaming the polarization by pushing their lawmakers to stake out a more extreme position by breaking quorum.

From Salon

How do you see that polarization influencing judges’ abilities to safely and effectively carry out their duties?

From Salon

We witness it in social media platforms where individual users and corporate algorithms optimize for engagement and profit, collectively creating an information commons so degraded by misinformation and polarization that democratic discourse itself suffers.

From Salon

Related Words

• emission