Question

How will you distinguish experimentally between ordinary light and plane polarized light?

Answer 1

1. Ordinary light and plane polarized light can be distinguished using an analyzer.
2. When ordinary light is rotated through an analyzer, the intensity of transmitted light remains the same in all positions.
3. When plane polarised light is rotated through an analyzer, the intensity of transmitted light varies with angle and becomes zero at a particular position (when the analyzer is perpendicular to the plane of polarisation).
4. Thus, variation of intensity on rotation of analyzer indicates plane polarized light.