Polaroid Vision in a Spider Experiments show that the ground spider Drassodes cu
ID: 1491663 • Letter: P
Question
Polaroid Vision in a Spider Experiments show that the ground spider Drassodes cupreus uses one of its several pairs of eyes as a polarization detector. In fact, the two eyes in this pair have polarization directions that are at right angles to one another. Suppose linearly polarized light with an intensity of 900 W/m2 shines from the sky onto the spider, and that the intensity transmitted by one of the polarizing eyes is 242 W/m2 .
1.For this eye, what is the angle between the polarization direction of the eye and the polarization direction of the incident light?
Answer:58.8degrees
2.What is the intensity transmitted by the other polarizing eye? In W/m2
Explanation / Answer
given data
intensity Io=900W/m^2
I=242 W/m^2
solution:
From Malus's law I = Io*cos(theta)^2,
where theta is the angle between light polarization and the polarizer axis.
242 = 900*(cos(theta))^2
theta 1 = 58.8 deg
Theta2 = theta1-pi/2 = 58.8-90 = -31.2 deg
Then I2 = I0cos(theta2)^2
I2=900*cos(-31.2)^2
I2 = 658 W/m^2