Question

A beam of light passes through a polarizer and then an analyzer. In this process, the intensity of the light transmitted is reduced to 10% of the intensity incident on the analyzer. What is the angle between the axes of the polarizer and the analyzer?

Answer 1

71.56°

Step-by-step explanation:

I₀ = Intensity of unpolarized light

θ = Angle between the axis of the filter and polarization direction

Intensity of polarzied light

`I=I_0cos\theta`

Here, the light that is transmitted is reduced by 10% that means

I=0.1I₀

So,

`0.1I_0=I_0cos^2\theta\\\Rightarrow cos^2\theta =0.1\\\Rightarrow cos\theta =0.316\\\Rightarrow \theta= cos^(-1)0.316\\\Rightarrow \theta=71.56^(\circ)`

∴ The angle between the axes of the polarizer and the analyzer is 71.56°