Unpolarized light passes through a combination of two ideal polarizers. The transmission axes of the first polarizer and the second polarizer are at 30.0° to each other. What percentage of the
Original light gets through the combination?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The intensity of light after passing through two polarizers is given by Malus's law, $I = I_0 \cos^2(\theta)$, where $I_0$ is the initial intensity, and $\theta$ is the angle between the polarizers. For an angle of 30°, the transmitted intensity is $I = I_0 \cos^2(30°) = I_0 (0.75)$. However, the first polarizer already reduces the intensity of unpolarized light by half, so the final intensity is $0.5 \times 0.75 = 0.375$ or $37.5\%$.

Unpolarized Light Passes Through a Combination of Two Ideal Polarizers 75%75 \%75%

Unpolarized Light Passes Through a Combination of Two Ideal Polarizers $75 \%$