An unpolarized beam of light is incident on a group of three polarizing sheets that are lined up so that the characteristic direction of each is rotated by 45º clockwise with respect to the preceding sheet.The fraction of the incident intensity I_o that is transmitted is A)zero B)I_o/2 C)I_o/4 D)I_o/6 E)I_o/8

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When an unpolarized beam of light passes through a polarizer, the intensity of the transmitted light is half of the incident intensity. Each subsequent polarizer set at a 45º angle to the direction of the polarized light passing through it further reduces the intensity by a factor of cos²(45º) = 1/2. Therefore, after passing through three polarizers, the intensity is (1/2) * (1/2) * (1/2) = 1/8 of the original intensity.

An Unpolarized Beam of Light Is Incident on a Group