Conceptual Physics (12th Edition)

Published by Addison-Wesley
ISBN 10: 0321909100
ISBN 13: 978-0-32190-910-7

Chapter 29 - Think and Explain - Page 560-561: 54

Answer

50 percent. 0 percent.

Work Step by Step

A Polaroid only admits light whose direction of polarization is along its transmission axis. As discussed in question 52, the first polarizer admits 50 percent of unpolarized light that falls upon it . When the two Polaroids are aligned, anything that passes through the first gets through the second with no problem, so 50 percent is also the answer for 2 aligned Polaroid filters. When the two Polaroids are at right angles to each other, anything that passes through the first is automatically absorbed by the second. This is discussed on pages 555-556, and an analogy with ropes passing through a pair of picket fences is shown in Figure 29.32.
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