Polarization or polarisation may refer to:
Mathematics
*Polarization of an
Abelian variety
In mathematics, particularly in algebraic geometry, complex analysis and algebraic number theory, an abelian variety is a projective algebraic variety that is also an algebraic group, i.e., has a group law that can be defined by regular func ...
, in the mathematics of complex manifolds
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Polarization of an algebraic form
In mathematics, in particular in algebra, polarization is a technique for expressing a homogeneous polynomial in a simpler fashion by adjoining more variables. Specifically, given a homogeneous polynomial, polarization produces a unique symmetri ...
, a technique for expressing a homogeneous polynomial in a simpler fashion by adjoining more variables
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Polarization identity
In linear algebra, a branch of mathematics, the polarization identity is any one of a family of formulas that express the inner product of two vectors in terms of the norm of a normed vector space.
If a norm arises from an inner product then t ...
, expresses an inner product in terms of its associated norm
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Polarization (Lie algebra) In representation theory, polarization is the maximal Isotropic quadratic form, totally isotropic subspace of a certain skew-symmetric bilinear form on a Lie algebra. The notion of polarization plays an important role in construction of Irreducible ...
Physical sciences
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Polarization (waves)
Polarization (also polarisation) is a property applying to transverse waves that specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. In a transverse wave, the direction of the oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the ...
, the ability of waves to oscillate in more than one direction, in particular polarization of light, responsible for example for the glare-reducing effect of polarized sunglasses
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Polarization (antenna), the state of polarization (in the above sense) of electromagnetic waves transmitted by or received by a radio antenna
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Dielectric polarization, charge separation in insulating materials:
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Polarization density, volume dielectric polarization
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Dipolar polarization
In electromagnetism, a dielectric (or dielectric medium) is an electrical insulator that can be polarised by an applied electric field. When a dielectric material is placed in an electric field, electric charges do not flow through the mate ...
, orientation of permanent dipoles
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Ionic polarization
In electromagnetism, a dielectric (or dielectric medium) is an Insulator (electricity), electrical insulator that can be Polarisability, polarised by an applied electric field. When a dielectric material is placed in an electric field, electr ...
, displacement of ions in a crystal
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Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars polarization In dielectric spectroscopy, large frequency dependent contributions to the dielectric response, especially at low frequencies, may come from build-ups of charge. This Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars polarization (or often just Maxwell-Wagner polarization ...
, slow long-distance charge separation in dielectric spectroscopy on inhomogeneous soft matter
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Polarization (electrochemistry) In electrochemistry, polarization is a collective term for certain mechanical side-effects (of an electrochemical process) by which isolating barriers develop at the interface between electrode and electrolyte. These side-effects influence the rea ...
, a change in the equilibrium potential of an electrochemical reaction
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Concentration polarization, the shift of the electrochemical potential difference across an electrochemical cell from its equilibrium value
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Spin polarization, the degree by which the spin of elementary particles is aligned to a given direction
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Polarizability, an electrical property of atoms or molecules and a separate magnetic property of subatomic particles
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Polarization function
In theoretical chemistry, theoretical and computational chemistry, a basis set is a set of Function (mathematics), functions (called basis functions) that is used to represent the Wave function, electronic wave function in the Hartree–Fock metho ...
, a feature of some molecular modelling methods
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Photon polarization, the mathematical link between wave polarization and spin polarization
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Vacuum polarization, a process in which a background electromagnetic field produces virtual electron-positron pairs
Social sciences
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Polarization (economics) Economists refer to the polarization of the labor force when middle-class jobs—requiring a moderate level of skills, like autoworkers’ jobs—seem to disappear relative to those at the bottom, requiring few skills, and those at the top, requirin ...
, faster decrease of moderate-skill jobs relative to low-skill and high-skill jobs
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Political polarization, when public opinion divides and becomes oppositional
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Social polarization, segregation of society into social groups, from high-income to low-income
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Group polarization, tendency of a group to make more extreme decisions than individuals' initial inclinations
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Attitude polarization, when disagreement becomes more extreme as different parties consider evidence
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Racial polarization, when a population with varying ancestry is divided into distinct racial groups
Others
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''Polarization'' (album), an album by American jazz trombonist and composer Julian Priester
*Polarization, in many disciplines, is a tendency to be located close to one of the opposite ends of a
continuum
Continuum may refer to:
* Continuum (measurement), theories or models that explain gradual transitions from one condition to another without abrupt changes
Mathematics
* Continuum (set theory), the real line or the corresponding cardinal number ...
See also
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Polar (disambiguation)
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Polar opposite (disambiguation)
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Polarity (disambiguation)
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Pole (disambiguation)
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Reversal (disambiguation)
{{Disambiguation