Abstract
An alternative laboratory experiment for verifying Malus's Law, as well as understanding concepts of photometry, polarization and image formation on liquid crystal displays using low cost materials is proposed. The experimental setup could be introduced to any undergraduate curriculum using readily available tools, such as a digital camera, polarizer removed from a cell phone and a LCD laptop screen. A fairly amount of photometric data was collected and analyzed by an astronomical image processing software resulting in a successful verification of Malus's Law.
Highlights
In the 19th century, French physicist Etienne Louis Malus developed research [1] about the relations between the incident angle and the reaction of light beams on polished surfaces, initiating the study of the polarization of light
We propose a low cost experiment for verifying Malus’s Law using a computer monitor, a polarizer extracted from a cell phone, a digital cam
Results analysis For the polarizer removed from a cell phone, the digital camera parameters used were: ISO 400, S 15, f 6.3 and exposure value (EV) -2.0
Summary
In the 19th century, French physicist Etienne Louis Malus developed research [1] about the relations between the incident angle and the reaction of light beams on polished surfaces, initiating the study of the polarization of light. When students learn about polarization, they often face equipment whose operation they do not usually understand, like polarized filters and LCD screens, mostly found in electronic devices such as computers, cell phones and television sets. As a result they are not able to correlate the concept of polarization with the technology present in everyday life. The polarization approach in didactic laboratories [2, 3] begins with the study of Malus’s Law using linear polarizers, laser sources and a photometer [4] These materials only provide a strictly quantitative experiment since the student will be just looking for the values of the intensity of light, provided by the photometer, as a function of the angle of the polarizer placed in front of the laser source. We propose a low cost experiment for verifying Malus’s Law using a computer monitor, a polarizer extracted from a cell phone, a digital cam-
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
