Polarization Worksheet IB Physics

1. Most portable radios have a vertically extendable stick aerial of a metre or so in length to receive signals. TV aerials can have many short horizontal rods attached to them. Explain why the orientations are different.

2.

hat m!st plastic !nder stress be doing to light to enable passage thro!gh crossed "olaroid filters# $ow can this be !sed for stress analysis#

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hat determines this amo!nt of rotation#

&.

'!gar sol!tion has the ability to rotate the direction of polarization of light depending on the concentration of the sol!tion. '!ggest how this co!ld be !sed in a s!gar factory to test the strength of a s!gar sol!tion.

(.

)f a li*!id crystal display on a watch+ calc!lator or laptop comp!ter is viewed thro!gh a polarizing filter+ the display can be exting!ished for certain orientations of the filter. hat does this tell yo! abo!t the constr!ction of s!ch devices#

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-npolarized light passes thro!gh two "olaroid filters aligned at ,. to each other. /alc!late the intensity of the emerging light.

0.

)f two "olaroid sheets are placed at 1. to each other+ what will happen to the intensity of the emerging light if another sheet is placed at &( between them#

2.

3t what angle sho!ld two "olaroids be placed to red!ce the intensity of the light to 141.#

1.

/alc!late 5rewster6s angle for lead crystal glass with a refractive index of 1.02

1.. hat is 5rewster6s angle for a ray of light in water 7n 8 1.%%9 that is reflected off a s!bmerged diamond 7n 8 2.&29#

Answers and worked solutions

1. 2. %. &. The local radio wave is vertically polarized for its electric vector+ whereas the local TV signal is horizontally polarized. The stressed plastic m!st be rotating the polarization direction of the polarized light. 'ee textbook for how it can be !sed in stress analysis. The stress determines the amo!nt of rotation+ increasing the stress slowly moves the bands. "lace the sol!tion in a standard rectang!lar cell between crossed polarizing filters. 'ome light will pass d!e to the rotation of the polarization by the s!gar sol!tion. )f the second polarizing filter is rotated !ntil the light is obsc!red+ the angle thro!gh which the filter is rotated is a meas!re of the degree of rotation and hence of the strength of the sol!tion. 7)n fact these polarimeters show a good linear response. '!gar is optically active beca!se of asymmetry in its molec!lar shape : some s!gars rotate to the right and some to the left : nat!re;s s!gar molec!les seem to prefer one sense of rotation<9 The displays m!st already incorporate another polarizing filter+ or they prod!ce polarized light. The intensity is red!ced by = as it passes thro!gh the first "olaroid. The light passing thro!gh the second is red!ced by )2 8 )17cos ,.92 8 > )1 The first polarizer changes the light into plane polarized and red!ces the intensity ). to )1 8 = ).. The second red!ces the intensity by 7cos &(92 8 = )1 8 > )2 The light leaving the second polarizer is plane polarized at &( so the third one red!ces the intensity by another =. The emerging light is 142 of the original I1 = I0 n2 = tan p n2/n1 = tan p I2 = (cos x)2 = 1/10 tan-1p = 1.72 tan-1p = 2.44/1.33 (cos x)2 = 0.2 = 59.8 = 61.2 cos x = 0.2 = 63.4

(. ,. 0.

8. 9. 10.