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Quantitative approach to light polarization: Exploring the Law of Malus with the PhyPhox App

The present work describe the construction of an alternative experimental apparatus for the practical teaching of light polarization through the law of Malus, using low-cost materials and the smartphone with the PhyPhox application, to collect and analyze quantitative data in schools that do not have formal laboratory structures. This feature is intended to facilitate the process of proving and understanding Malus’s law, as it is possible to demonstrate the theory with real data and good accuracy. The material presented is easy to build and can be done by teachers and high school students. In addition, the proposed didactic tool also allows relating the concepts of electric fields and the wave character of light to the phenomenon of polarization of light. This proposal allows students to carry out quantitative experimental activities of analysis of laboratory data and develop a better understanding of the technologies used in objects and every day electronic devices, even when they do not have a physics laboratory.

Keywords:
Polarization of Light; Malus’s Law; Alternative Quantitative Experiment


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