Graphing Power vs Polarizer Angle using Intensity

[member 731016]

Oh wait, I think the OpenStax textbook just assumed an efficiency equal to 1.

Many thanks!

 

[haruspex]

I plotted your data. Normally, one assumes the x values are reliable, so curve fitting minimises the sum of squares of the errors in y, but your data looks very odd. The trough on the left is about 112° wide, then the crest is only 68° wide. It's as though there is some systematic error in the angle readings.
Alternatively, the high crest on the right is what's wrong. If we throw away the data from 120° to 170° then the curve looks respectable. Sketching in the gap created, the peak would only be about 130.

I assume you only did one run-through of the settings, which is a shame.

Anyway, I was able to verify my formulae.

 

[member 731016]

I plotted your data. Normally, one assumes the x values are reliable, so curve fitting minimises the sum of squares of the errors in y, but your data looks very odd. The trough on the left is about 112° wide, then the crest is only 68° wide. It's as though there is some systematic error in the angle readings.
Alternatively, the high crest on the right is what's wrong. If we throw away the data from 120° to 170° then the curve looks respectable. Sketching in the gap created, the peak would only be about 130.

I assume you only did one run-through of the settings, which is a shame.

Anyway, I was able to verify my formulae.

Thank you for doing that @haruspex!

Many thanks!