Unpolarized light passes through three polarizing filters.The first is oriented with a horizontal transmission axis,the second has its transmission axis π/7 radians from the horizontal,and the third has a vertical transmission axis.What percent of the light gets through?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When unpolarized light passes through the first polarizer, its intensity is reduced by half. The second polarizer, oriented π/7 radians from the first, further reduces the intensity by cos²(π/7). The third polarizer, oriented vertically, reduces the intensity by cos²(π/2 - π/7). The final intensity is 0.5 * cos²(π/7) * cos²(π/2 - π/7), which is approximately 7.6% of the original intensity.

Unpolarized Light Passes Through Three Polarizing Filters