JHarris2010
Polarizing (contrived)
The term "polarization" refers to the orientation of the oscillation of electromagnetic waves, in this case light. The glare you see on the table in the above picture has been polarized by bouncing off the table - that is, only those electromagnetic waves that were oscillation with a particular orientation were reflected off of the table's surface. Though we can't see light's polarization with our eyes, a polarizing lens (which only lets light polarized in a specific direction pass through) can be used to detect it. In the top frame, the lens is oriented perpendicular to the glare spot, and none of it's light can pass through. In the bottom frame though, the lens has been rotated roughly 90 degrees, so that the lens's polarization and the light's polarization are oriented in the same direction. Light is allowed through the lens.
Polarizing (contrived)
The term "polarization" refers to the orientation of the oscillation of electromagnetic waves, in this case light. The glare you see on the table in the above picture has been polarized by bouncing off the table - that is, only those electromagnetic waves that were oscillation with a particular orientation were reflected off of the table's surface. Though we can't see light's polarization with our eyes, a polarizing lens (which only lets light polarized in a specific direction pass through) can be used to detect it. In the top frame, the lens is oriented perpendicular to the glare spot, and none of it's light can pass through. In the bottom frame though, the lens has been rotated roughly 90 degrees, so that the lens's polarization and the light's polarization are oriented in the same direction. Light is allowed through the lens.