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ZHIHUI
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Moved from a technical forum, so homework template missing
Un-polarized light is incident upon two polarization filters and do not have their transmission axes aligned. If 18% of the light passes through this combination of filters, what is the angle between the transmission axes of the filters.

I got 64 degrees using I = Imax(cosΦ)^2 but the correct answer is 53 degrees.

Thank you very much!
 
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DrClaude said:
What happens when the light hits the first filter?
The light will be linearly polarized. If the first filter is ideal, intensity of the transmitted light will be exactly half that of the incident un-polarized light.
 
ZHIHUI said:
The light will be linearly polarized. If the first filter is ideal, intensity of the transmitted light will be exactly half that of the incident un-polarized light.
Correct. So how does that affect the terms in your equation?
 
DrClaude said:
Correct. So how does that affect the terms in your equation?
I got it!
Thank you very much!
Sorry for the trouble!
 
ZHIHUI said:
I got it!
Thank you very much!
Sorry for the trouble!
No trouble, that what PF is for!