Question

Which of the following is the purpose of the beam splitter in double beam photometer or colorimeter?

(a) Splits beam into two equal intensity beams

(b) Splits beam in such a way that sample beam has higher intensity

(c) Splits beam in such a way that a reference beam has higher intensity

(d) Merge two equal intensity beams into single beam

This question was posed to me during an online exam.

Origin of the question is Single Beam and Double Beam Instruments topic in chapter Colorimetry and Spectrometry of Analytical Instrumentation

Answer 1

The correct answer is (a) Splits beam into two equal intensity beams

For explanation: Beam splitter splits beam into two equal intensity beams. One beam passes through the sample and other through the reference.