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 825W/m2 shines from the sky onto the spider, and that the intensity transmitted by one of the polarizing eyes is 232W/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/m^2

?

Explanation / Answer

From Malus's law (ref.), I/I0 = cos(theta)^2, where theta is the angle between light polarization and the polarizer axis.

Then theta1 = arccos(sqrt(I1/I0))= arc cos(sqrt(232/825)) = 57.74 degrees

Theta2 = theta1-pi/2 = -32.25 degrees

Then I2 = I0cos(theta2)^2 = 825 x (cos(-32.25) ) ^2

I get 590 w/m^2 but you should repeat my calculation.

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