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What is Light?

To the optical engineer, light is simply a very small part of the electromagnetic spectrum, sandwiched between ultraviolet and infrared radiation. The visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum extends from about 380 to about 780 nanometers (nm), as shown in following Figure

Color violet blue cyan green yellow orange red

Frequency 668 789 THz 631 668 THz 606 630 THz 526 606 THz 508 526 THz 484 508 THz 400 484 THz

Wavelength 380 450 nm 450 475 nm 476 495 nm 495 570 nm 570 590 nm 590 620 nm 620 750 nm

Ultraviolet Radiation Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, sometimes incorrectly referred as UV light, has shorter wavelengths than visible radiation (light), as shown in Figure

Infrared Radiation Infrared (IR) radiation has slightly longer wavelengths than visible light.

Terms Used in Illumination light. Light is defined as that radiant energy in the form of waves which produces a sensation of vision upon the human eye. luminous flux. Luminous flux is the rate of energy radiation in the form of light waves and is denoted by = q/t where q is the radiant energy, It s unit is lumen OR defined as the energy in the form of light waves radiated per second from a luminous body.(e.g. incandescent lamp).

lumen. It is a unit of flux and is defined as the luminous flux per unit angle from a source of one candle power. Lumens = Candle power X Solid angle. = C.P. X . The total flux emitted by the source of 1 C.P. is 4 lumens.

candle power. Candle power is the light rendering capacity of a source in a given direction and is defined as the number of lumens given out by the source in a unit solid angle in a given direction. The term candle power is used interchangeably with intensity Lumens C.P. = ----------

luminous intensity. The mean Luminous intensity over a particular range of direction or zone is the flux contained per unit solid angle in that zone. If the solid angle is infinitely small the intensity is no longer a mean value but the value in a specific direction. Hence luminous intensity is mathematically defined as: I= Lt F
0

Where F is the differential Luminous flux in a differential solid angle . The unit for luminous intensity is candle or lumens/steradian Define IL luminance (or) illumination (or) Degree of illumination. When the light falls on a surface it is illuminated. The ) illumination is defined as the luminous flux received per unit area. ) illumination is denoted by the symbol E and is measured in lumens/m2 or lux or metercandle.

lux. It is a meter candle and is defined as the illumination of the inside of the sphere of radius 1 meter at the center of which there is a source of 1 CP.

Define plane angle. When two straight lines lying in the same plane meet at a point, there will be an angle between these converging lines at the meeting point. This angle is termed as plane angle .In the above figure the angle AOB is the plane angle. Unit of plane angle is radians. Arc Plane angle = ----------Radius

Define solid angle. The angle subtended at a point in space by an area is termed as solid angle. In plane angle it is the area which is enclosed by two lines, but in case of solid angle. It is the Volume enclosed by numerous lines lying on the surface and meeting at a point. Solid angle is denoted by . Unit of solid angle is steradian. Area Solid angle = -------------(Radius)2

Maintenance factor Maintenance factor is defined as the ratio of illumination under normal working conditions to the illumination when the things are perfectly clean. It is always less than unity.

Depreciation factor Depreciation factor is merely the inverse of the maintenance factor and is defined as the ratio of initial meter-candles to the ultimate maintained meter-candles on the working plane. It is always more than unity.

brightness It is defined as the flux emitted per unit area or the luminous intensity per unit projected area (of either a surface source of light or a reflecting surface. ) of the source in a direction perpendicular to the surface. Glare Glare may be defined as the brightness within the field of vision of such a character as to cause annoyance, discomfort, interference with vision or eye fatigue. Utilization factor Utilization factor or coefficient of utilization is defined as the ratio of total lumens reaching the working plane to the total lumens given out by the lamp.

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