An unpolarised light of intensity I₀ passes through a polariser. The transmitted intensity is
AI₀
BI₀/4
CI₀/2
D2 I₀
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. I₀/2
1. Unpolarised light contains all polarisation directions equally.
2. An ideal polariser transmits only one direction.
3. Averaged over all directions, transmitted intensity is half the incident: I = I₀/2.
4. This is the average over cos² θ around a full circle.
_Source: syllabus Physics, Ch 10 "Wave Optics", §10.7_
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