Final answer:
Using Malus's Law, we can determine that the initial polarization direction of the incident light was aligned with the axis of the first polarizer, as 100% of the light's intensity would get through. Therefore, the angle between the initial polarization direction and the first polarizer is 0 degrees.
Step-by-step explanation:
This asks about the initial polarization direction of incident light when it passes through two polarizers oriented at 50 degrees to each other, resulting in 35% of light getting through. The law known as Malus's Law can be used to solve this problem. Malus's Law states that when polarized light is incident on a polarizer, the intensity of the transmitted light (I) is related to the intensity of the incident light (I0) and the angle (θ) between the light's polarization direction and the polarizer's axis by I = I0cos2(θ). Given that 35% of the light passes through both polarizers and knowing that the second polarizer is oriented at 50 degrees to the first, we can set up the equation 0.35 = cos2(50 degrees). To find the initial polarization angle relative to the first polarizer, we must consider that initially, 100% of the light's intensity gets through the first polarizer which means that the angle between the light's initial polarization direction and the first polarizer is 0 degrees. Therefore, the angle between the initial polarization direction of the incident light and the axis of the first polarizer is 0 degrees.