Malus' Law Calculator

Malus' Law describes the relationship between the intensity of polarized light passing through a polarizer and the angle between the light’s polarization direction and the axis of the polarizer. This law is significant in optics for understanding how light behaves when passing through polarizing filters.

Formula

The transmitted intensity (I) is given by:

\[ I = I_0 \cos^2(\theta) \]

Where:

• \( I_0 \) is the initial intensity.
• \( \theta \) is the angle between the light's polarization and the polarizer's axis.
• \( I \) is the transmitted intensity.

Example Calculation

If \( I_0 = 100 \) units and \( \theta = 30^\circ \), the transmitted intensity is:

\[ I = 100 \times \cos^2(30^\circ) \approx 75 \text{ units} \]

This calculator helps you compute the transmitted intensity quickly based on your input values, making it a useful tool in studying optical phenomena like polarization.