Unpolarized light is passed through a polarizer-analyzer combination. The transmission axes of the polarizer and the analyzer are at 30.0° to each other. What percentage of the unpolarized light gets through the combination?
A)37.5%
B)50.0%
C)63.7%
D)75.0%
E)100%

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When unpolarized light passes through a polarizer, its intensity is reduced by half. Then, when it passes through an analyzer at an angle θ, the intensity is further reduced by a factor of cos²(θ). Here, θ = 30°, so the transmitted intensity is (1/2) * cos²(30°) = (1/2) * (√3/2)² = (1/2) * (3/4) = 3/8 = 37.5%.

Unpolarized Light Is Passed Through a Polarizer-Analyzer Combination