A polarizing filter is a plastic sheet that allows only certain components of th

Question

A polarizing filter is a plastic sheet that allows only certain components of the electric field in an electromagnetic wave to pass through, and a wave that has passed through such a filter is said to be polarized. After a wave has passed through the filter shown inpart (a) of (Figure 1) , for instance, the wave's electric field contains only the vertical components of all the electric field vectors present before the wave passed through. Because the horizontal components have been blocked, the wave has lost half of its initial intensity. If this polarized wave then passes through the filter shown in part (b) of (Figure 1) , where the filter-polarizing direction is at an angle to the direction of the vertically polarized wave, the wave loses more of its intensity.

If the polarized wave has an intensity Sbefore = 300 W/m2 before passing through the filter of(Figure 1) and = 40.0 , what is the intensity after the wave passes through?

Explanation / Answer

Given

Initian intensity Sbefore = 300 Wb/m2

Angle of rotation = 40.0 o

Solution

Intensity after passing through the polarizer

S = Sbefore cos2

S = 300cos240

S = 176.05 Wb/m2

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