Two polaroids are aligned so that the initially unpolarized light passing through them is a maximum. at what angle should one of them be placed so the transmitted intensity is subsequently reduced by half?

To solve this problem it is necessary to apply the law of Malus which describes the change in the Intensity of Light when it crosses a polarized surface.

Mathematically the expression is given as

Where,

= Initial Intensity

I = Final Intensity after pass through the polarizer

= Angle between the polarizer and the light

Since it is sought to reduce the intensity by half the relationship between the two intensities will be given as

Using the Malus Law we have,

Angle with respect to maximum is

what was the answer?