Help with polarization problem

benoy

One problem in my hw assignment that I am having trouble with is:

Take two ideal polarizers (the first with its axis vertical and the second, horizontal) and insert between them a stack of 10 half-wave plates, the first with its fast axis rotated pi/20 rad. from the vertical, and each subsequent one rotated pi/20 rad. from the previous one. Determine the ratio of intensity after the second polarizer to that after the first polarizer.

Does anyone know how to solve this problem?

Astronuc

What is the effect of a half-wave plate, at some angle, where the angle is with respect to the axes of the polarizer and half-wave plate?