Polaroid Vision in a Spider Experiments show that the ground spider Drassodes cu

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 875 W/m2 shines from the sky onto the spider, and that the intensity transmitted by one of the polarizing eyes is 252 W/m2 .

Part A

For this eye, what is the angle between the polarization direction of the eye and the polarization direction of the incident light?

Part B

What is the intensity transmitted by the other polarizing eye?

I=___________W/m2  

Explanation / Answer

The angle is

I = Io*cos^2@

@ =cos^-1{sqrt (I/Io)}

= cos^-1{sqrt (252/875)}

= 57.54 degrees

b.

Intensity is

I'=I*cos^2(90-@)

= 875*cos^2(90-57.54)

= 622.99 W/m2

= 623 W/m^2

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