Incident Intensity of light transmitted

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the transmission of an unpolarized beam of light through three polarizing sheets, each rotated 45 degrees relative to the previous one. The correct fraction of the incident intensity Io transmitted through all three sheets is Io/8. This conclusion is reached by applying Malus's Law, which states that the transmitted intensity through a polarizer is proportional to the square of the cosine of the angle between the light's polarization direction and the polarizer's axis. The calculation confirms that the intensity reduces to Io/8 after passing through all three polarizers.

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An unpolarized beam of light is incident on a group of three polarizing sheets that are lined up so that the characteristic direction of each is rotated by 45 degrees clockwise with respect to the preceding sheet. What is the fraction of the incident intensity Io that is transmitted?
a. zero
b. Io/2
c. Io/4
d. Io/6
E. Io/8

My thoughts were that if you take the cosine of the angle 45 and square it as shown in the intensity equation you get .5, so therefore the answer would be Io/2, but I am not quite sure if this theory is right.
 
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You need to consider what happens as the light passes through each polarizer.
 
as it passes through each sheet .5 is passed through each polarizer and there is three of them so would you take .5 x .5 x .5 = .125 which would be E. Io/8 ?
 
You got it.
 
Thanks for your help!
 

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