Question

Which effect provides direct experimental evidence that light is a transverse, rather than a longitudinal wave motion?

• A. Light can be diffracted.
• B. Two coherent light waves can be made to interfere.
• C. The intensity of light from a point source falls off inversely as the square of the distance from the source.
• D. Light can be polarised.

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

Sound, a longitudinal wave, can be diffracted, can be made to interfere, whose intensity falls off inversely as the square of distance from the source, but can not be polarised.
Light, a transverse wave, can be diffracted, can be made to interfere, whose intensity falls of inversely as the square of distance from the source, can also be polarised.