Question

You shine unpolarized light with intensity 52.0 W/m2 on an ideal polarizer, and then the light that emerges from this polarizer falls on a second ideal polarizer. The light that emerges from the second polarizer has intensity 15.0 W/m2. Find the intensity of the light that emerges from the first polarizer.

Answer 1

The intensity of light from the first polarizer is
`I_1 = 26 W/m^2`

Step-by-step explanation:

The intensity of the unpolarized light is
`I_o = 52.0 \ W/m^2`

Generally the intensity of light that emerges from the first polarized light is

`I_1 = (I_o)/(2 )`

substituting values

`I_1 = (52. 0)/(2 )`

`I_1 = 26 W/m^2`