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PolarizerAnalyzer
Unpolarized Polarized Transmitted

Live Telemetry & Summary

Observe the decrease in light intensity after passing through the polarizer and analyzer. Rotate the analyzer to block light entirely (at 90°).

Analyzer Angle (θ):45°
Transmitted Intensity:25.0 %

Variable Adjuster

Initial Intensity (I₀)400W/m²
100600
Analyzer Angle (θ)45°
090

Light Polarization & Malus's Law

POLAR

Polarization is a property applying to transverse waves that specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. Unpolarized light consists of electric fields oscillating in all perpendicular directions. A linear polarizer cuts intensity by 50% and aligns the field. A subsequent analyzer transmission axis at angle θ scales intensity by cos²θ.

I=I1cos⁡2θ,I1=12I0I = I_1 \cos^2\theta, \quad I_1 = \frac{1}{2} I_0

Whiteboard Solver Steps

Step 1

Initial Polarization (Unpolarized to Polarized)

Ideal linear polarizers block exactly 50% of incoming unpolarized light by selecting only the electric field component parallel to the transmission axis.

I1=12I0=12(400)=200.0 W/m2I_1 = \frac{1}{2} I_0 = \frac{1}{2} (400) = 200.0 \text{ W/m}^2
Step 2

Malus's Law (Polarized through Analyzer)

When polarized light encounters a second polarizing sheet (analyzer), the transmitted intensity is proportional to the square of the cosine of the angle between their transmission axes.

I2=I1cos⁡2θ=200.0cos⁡2(45∘)≈100.0 W/m2I_2 = I_1 \cos^2\theta = 200.0 \cos^2(45^\circ) \approx 100.0 \text{ W/m}^2