What is the effect of a second polarizer placed at 90 degrees to the first polarizer on the intensity of light?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
What is the effect of a second polarizer placed at 90 degrees to the first polarizer on the intensity of light?
It increases the intensity
It decreases the intensity to zero
It has no effect
It doubles the intensity
When light passes through a second polarizer at 90 degrees to the first, the intensity is reduced to zero.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: What is the effect of a second polarizer placed at 90 degrees to the first polarizer on the intensity of light?
Solution: When light passes through a second polarizer at 90 degrees to the first, the intensity is reduced to zero.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Start with unpolarized light, which has light waves vibrating in all directions.
Step 2: Pass the unpolarized light through the first polarizer. This polarizer only allows light waves vibrating in one direction to pass through, reducing the intensity of the light.
Step 3: Now, the light that comes out of the first polarizer is polarized in one direction.
Step 4: Introduce a second polarizer that is oriented at 90 degrees to the first polarizer. This means the second polarizer is set to block the direction of light that the first polarizer allowed through.
Step 5: When the polarized light from the first polarizer hits the second polarizer, it cannot pass through because its direction is perpendicular to the second polarizer's orientation.
Step 6: As a result, no light passes through the second polarizer, and the intensity of the light is reduced to zero.
