When unpolarized light is passed through a polarizer, its intensity ______.

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KollegeApply · Accepted Answer

When unpolarized light is passed through a polarizer, its intensity decreases. Explanation: According to Malu’s law, I = I_0 cos^2 (theta) Here theta is the angle between the axes of polarizers and I_0 is the falling intensity. So when unpolarized light passes through a polarizer, the intensity is reduced by a factor of $\frac{1}{2}$. The average cos^2 theta, averaged over all angles theta is $\frac{1}{2}$. `I = I_0 <>_("allangles") = $\frac{1}{2}$ I_0`

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