Engineering Physics Laboratory

(Course Code : PHY119)

Experiment :9

AIM: To investigate the intensity of light

coming through two crossed Polaroids
and to verify the Malus' law.

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Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 2. Learning Objectives

1. To understand the concept of polarization of light.

2. To learn about the variation of intensity of light with the angle

between the axis of the analyzer (θ) with respect to the axis of

polarizer.

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Basic Understandings
Polarization of Light

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 Light is an Electromagnetic wave
In electromagnetic theory light is considered as a transverse electromagnetic
wave consisting of vibrating electric and magnetic vectors at right angles to
each other and also at right angles to the direction of propagation of light.

Plane polarized light:

In unpolarized light the electric or light
vector takes on all possible directions of
vibration in a plane perpendicular to the
direction of propagation . If however the
light vector vibrates along a fixed line in the
plane, the light is said to be plane polarized
or linearly polarized.

The electric vector is called light vector because it is responsible for the
sensation of vision. 4
Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
What is ordinary Light and polarized light ?
➢What is Plane of
Vibration?
The plane containing the
direction of vibration ( electric
vector) and direction of
propagation of light is called the
Plane of vibration.
➢What is Plane of
Polarization?
The plane perpendicular to the
plane of vibration is called plane
of polarization.
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 Polarizer and analyzer

Polarizer: Polarizer is any device that can convert unpolarised light into
polarized light.
Analyzer: Analyzer is a device used to determine whether the light is plane
polarized or not 6
Polarisation of light

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Polaroids (use of polarization concept in daily life…polaroid sunglasses)

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 Intensity of polarised light
How the intensity of a beam of plane-polarized light after passing through a
rotatable polarizer varies, that is given by Malus law

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 Malus’s Law
When a completely plane polarized
light beam is incident on an analyzer,
the intensity of the emergent light
varies as the square of the cosine of the
angle between the planes of
transmission of the analyzer and the
polarizer. This is known as Malus law.

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Malus law

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Animation: https://ophysics.com/l3.html

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 Questions on
Q
basic understandings

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Click or type the following link on the address bar

https://www.uv.es/indoptic/applets/Malus/index.html

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Apparatus

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Initial view of interface

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Select one polarizer and one analyzer

“Off” one polarizer

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Rotate analyzer

Rotate the analyzer and note

down the intensity of light at
different position of it with
respect to the polarizer

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 Worksheet of the Student Registration number:

Aim: Date of performance:

Observation Table : Polarizer position θP, (degree) = ……………….., Intensity (I0) = ……………………unit

Sr. Analyzer Angle θ between Intensity Experimental Theoretical

No. position θA, polarizer and Ip relative relative
(degree) analyzer intensity Ip/I0 intensity Ith/I0

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 Registration number:

❑ Plot the graph on normal graph paper:

Relative intensities (both theoretical and experimental) along y axis and angle θ between the polarizer and
analyzer along x axis.

❑ Result and discussions

❑ Learning outcomes

Signature of the student

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 Calculations and graph

Plot the graph between θ and relative intensity (theoretical and

experimental).

*The students will plot the graph in normal graph paper

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 Precautions

❑ 1. Light should be incident along the axis of polaroid.

❑ 2. There should be dark room for this experiment.

❑ 3. No obstacle should lie in the path of beam

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 A Activity Based Questions
while you perform the experiment

** 5 questions
each carrying 2
marks: you have
to answer all the
questions

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