Quantity Symbol Unit

Luminous Flux P lumen

Luminous Intensity I Candela
Illuminance E Lux
Luminance L cd/m2
Luminous Flux (transmission)
• Luminous flux is the concept for
the total quantity of light
emitted per second by a light
source.
• It is designated by the symbol
Φ. The unit is the lumen (lm).
• One lumen (lm) is defined as
the amount of light emitted by
a 1cd point source within one
unit solid angle.
• Picture courtesy: Philips lighting
 Luminous Intensity (production)

• Luminous intensity is the

concept for the
concentration of light in a
specific direction, radiated
per second.
• Denoted by I and the unit
is ‘candela’

• Picture courtesy: Philips lighting

The Unit Solid Angle (Steradian)
• A steradian is
defined as the
solid angle
which, from the
centre of a
sphere, cuts off
an area of the
surface of that
sphere equal to
the square of its
radius.
 Luminous Intensity (production)
• Imagine a sufficiently narrow cone,
with its vertex at the light source
(which is considered as a point),
then the luminous flux contained in
this cone will approximate a
uniform distribution.
• The concentration of luminous flux
within this narrow cone can now be
defined as the luminous flux in this
cone divided by the opening of the
cone expressed in terms of the solid
angle of the cone.
• The result is called the luminous
intensity (I), measured in candelas
(cd), in the direction of the centre-
line of the cone.
 Illuminance (incidence)
• Illuminance is defined as the
quantity of light (flux) falling on
a unit area of surface.
• Denoted by E
• Its unit is lux (lx), defined as
Luminous flux emitted within
unit solid angle ( one steradian )
by a point source having a
uniform luminous intensity of 1
candela.
• Measurement with lux-meter
(illumance-meter)
 LUMINANCE
• Luminance can be defined as the ratio of the
luminous intensity from a surface in a given
direction to the apparent area of that surface.
• It is designated by the symbol L
• L = I / Aa
where I is the Luminous intensity and
Aa is the apparent area of the surface
• The unit is the candela per square meter.
 Brightness
• The luminous intensity radiated by a
light source or an illuminated surface
per unit of apparent area (i.e. the
luminance) evokes a sensation of
brightness.
• Luminance is an objective measure,
whereas brightness is a subjective
evaluation made by the observer.
• The latter is largely dependent on the
luminance of the surface, but also on
other factors, such as the overall
luminance distribution in the field of
view or, in other words, the
adaptation luminance of the eye
 Relation between luminous flux (f)
and luminous intensity (l)
• The luminous intensity can be defined as:
the luminous flux in certain direction, radiated
per unit of solid angle.
• The luminous intensity in any direction of light
source whose light distribution is uniform in
all directions, is equal to the luminous flux
divided by
• Luminous flux (lm) = × luminous intensity
 Relation between luminous intensity (I)
and illuminance (E)
• The inverse square law
• The illuminance on a point in a
plane perpendicular to the
direction of light incidence is equal
to the luminous intensity in the
direction of the point, divided by
the square of the distance
between the (point) light source
and the point in question.
• If we call this distance d, the
following formula applies:
Ep = I / d2
 The cosine law
• The illuminance at a point in a
plane not perpendicular to the
direction of the luminous
intensity is equal to the luminous
intensity in the direction of the
point, divided by the square of
the distance between the light
source and the point in question,
multiplied by the cosine of the
angle gamma that the direction
of light incidence makes with the
normal (perpendicular) to the
plane

• Ep = I cos γ / d2
This is called the cosine law.
 Relation between illuminance (E) and
luminance (L)
• In the case of a light-reflecting surface, the luminous intensity
of the surface is usually not known, but very often the
illuminance on the surface is.
• For perfectly diffusing surfaces a relationship exists between
the illuminance (E) on the surface, the surface reflectance (ρ),
and the luminance (L) of the surface
• L=ρE/π
• This equation is valid for perfectly diffuse (matt) surfaces.
These display an equal luminance in all directions, no matter
what the direction of view.
• The formula is not valid for specular surfaces and for surfaces
exhibiting compound reflection - such as road surfaces - when
viewed in the direction of the specular component
 Lambert's cosine law

• The reflection characteristics of perfectly diffusing

surfaces are laid down in Lambert's Cosine Law
• The luminous intensity reflected by a diffusing
surface in any direction is proportional to the
cosine of the angle which that direction makes
with the normal to the surface
• Iα = I0 cos α
• where l0 = luminous intensity perpendicular to the
surface,
Iα = luminous intensity in the given direction
α = angle between l0 and Iα
• This law and its derivations are very important in
practical lighting technology.