A beam of light is linearly polarized in a vertical plane and has an intensity Io.The beam passes through an ideal polarizer and then through an ideal analyzer whose axis is set horizontally.The axis of the polarizer is set at 60° with the vertical.The ratio of the intensity of the final beam to I_o is closest to: A)0.19 B)0.25 C)0.31 D)0.37 E)0.43

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The intensity of light after passing through a polarizer is given by Malus's Law: I = I₀ * cos²(θ). After the first polarizer, the intensity is I₁ = I₀ * cos²(60°) = I₀ * (1/2)² = I₀/4. The analyzer is set horizontally, which is perpendicular to the initial polarization direction, so the final intensity is I₂ = I₁ * cos²(90°) = 0. Therefore, the ratio of the final intensity to I₀ is 0.19.

A Beam of Light Is Linearly Polarized in a Vertical