What is the principle behind the operation of a polarimeter?
Practice Questions
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Q1
What is the principle behind the operation of a polarimeter?
Measuring the speed of light
Determining the wavelength of light
Measuring the rotation of polarized light
Calculating the intensity of light
A polarimeter measures the angle of rotation of polarized light as it passes through a sample, which can indicate the concentration of optically active substances.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: What is the principle behind the operation of a polarimeter?
Solution: A polarimeter measures the angle of rotation of polarized light as it passes through a sample, which can indicate the concentration of optically active substances.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Understand that light can be polarized, meaning it vibrates in a specific direction.
Step 2: Know that a polarimeter is a device that measures how much this polarized light is rotated when it passes through a sample.
Step 3: Recognize that some substances can change the direction of polarized light; these are called optically active substances.
Step 4: The polarimeter has a light source that produces polarized light, which then goes through the sample.
Step 5: After passing through the sample, the light is analyzed to see how much its direction has changed.
Step 6: The amount of rotation is measured in degrees, which can help determine the concentration of the optically active substance in the sample.
