Question

A beam of initially unpolarized light passes through a sequence of three ideal polarizers. The angle between the axes of the first and second polarizers is 20.5°, and the angle between the axes of the second and third polarizers is 50.7°. What is the ratio of the intensity of light emerging from the third polarizer, I₃, to the intensity of light incident on the first polarizer, I₀?

I₃ / I₀ = ?

20.5 50.7 I

Answer 1

From the mauls law the intensity is The light is initially un-polarized; the imadiance I of the light transmitted by the first sheet is given by one-half rule as 2 From the first and second polarizer Ig cos 2 Ic COs - cos (20.5) From the second and third sheet I cos2 cos' (20.5) cos2 (50.7) Lcos (20.5) cos2 (50.7) =(0.877)(0.401) =0.35