Technician exam question T3B02
Subelement T3, RADIO WAVE PROPAGATION· Group T3B
What property of a radio wave defines its polarization?
- A.The orientation of the electric field (correct answer)
- B.The orientation of the magnetic field
- C.The ratio of the energy in the magnetic field to the energy in the electric field
- D.The ratio of the velocity to the wavelength
WhyThe orientation of a radio wave's electric field defines its polarization. A radio wave's polarization is defined by the orientation of its electric field relative to the ground, vertical, horizontal, or some other angle, which is also why antenna polarization matching matters for reception, answer A. The magnetic field's orientation (B) is a fixed consequence of the electric field's orientation (they're locked at right angles per T3B01), not an independent defining property, and C and D describe unrelated ratios that don't define polarization.
Published 2026-08-28 · Last updated 2026-08-28 · Question text is verbatim from the 2026-2030 NCVEC Element 2 pool (public domain); the explanation above is original writing, see our methodology.
Related questions
- T3B01What is the relationship between the electric and magnetic fields of an electromagnetic wave?
- T3B03What are the two components of a radio wave?
- T3B04What is the velocity of a radio wave traveling through free space?
- T3B05What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency?
- T3B06What is the formula for converting frequency to approximate wavelength in meters?