Malus Law Intensity Calculator

How to Use the Calculator

1. Enter the Initial Light Intensity (I₀) in the appropriate field. This is the intensity of light before it passes through the polarizer.
2. Enter the Angle between polarization axes (θ) in degrees. This is the angle between the initial polarization direction of the light and the axis of the polarizing filter.
3. Click the Calculate button to compute the final intensity of light passing through the polarizer.
4. The calculator will display the result along with the formula used for calculation.
5. Click the Reset button to clear all input fields and results if you want to perform another calculation.

Malus Law Explained

Malus's Law describes how the intensity of light passing through a polarizing filter changes with the angle between the light's initial polarization direction and the axis of the polarizer. According to Malus's Law:

I = I₀ × cos²(θ)

Where:

• I = Final intensity of light passing through the polarizer
• I₀ = Initial intensity of light
• θ = Angle between the initial polarization direction and the polarizer axis

This means that when the angle θ is 0° (light is polarized along the polarizer's axis), the intensity is maximum. When θ is 90° (light is polarized perpendicular to the polarizer's axis), the intensity is zero. For angles between 0° and 90°, the intensity decreases as θ increases.

Practical Applications

Malus's Law has numerous practical applications including:

• Adjusting the brightness of LCD screens
• Optical systems that use polarizers
• Studying the polarization of light from various sources
• Enhancing contrast in polarized sunglasses