The state of matter that has low thermal expansion

When someone slams her books on a table the kinect energy is transferred into vibrations that travel to your ears as sound waves which statement describes the movement of those waves

Unpolarized light of intensity i_0=750w/m^2 is incident upon two polarizers. after passing through both polarizers the intensity is i_2=280w/m^2. (a) what is the intensity of the light after it passes through the first polarizer in w/m^2? (b) write an equation for the angle between the polarizers in terms of the initial (i_0) and final (i_2) intensities. (c) find the angle between the polarizers in degrees.

Asolid cylinder and a cylindrical shell have the same mass, same radius, and turn on frictionless, horizontal axles. the cylindrical shell has light-weight spokes connecting the shell to the axle. a rope is wrapped around each cylinder and tied to blocks of equal masses that are held the same height above the ground. both blocks are released simultaneously. the ropes do not slip. which block hits the ground first? or is it a tie?