An ideal Polaroid will transmit 50% of incident sunlight. How much light will be transmitted by two ideal Polaroids oriented with their axes parallel to each other?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When two ideal Polaroids are oriented with their axes parallel to each other, the first Polaroid will transmit 50% of the incident light, and the second Polaroid will also transmit 50% of the light that has passed through the first Polaroid. Therefore, 50% of 50% is transmitted, which equals 25%. However, the correct interpretation of the question suggests that the answer should reflect the percentage of light transmitted by the second Polaroid relative to the light it receives from the first Polaroid, which is indeed 50%.

An Ideal Polaroid Will Transmit 50% of Incident Sunlight