BUILDING SERVICES SEMINAR

LAWS OF ILLUMINATION
 PREREQUISITE THEORY
● LUMINOUS FLUX :
The quantity of radiant energy per second responsible for visual sensation from a
luminous body.
Measured in lumen.

● LUMINOUS INTENSITY:
Luminous intensity in any direction is the luminous flux emitted by the source in
particular solid angle in the direction.

● ILLUMINATION:
The luminous flux falling on a surface per unit area.
Measured in lumen per sq.m or metre-candle.
Denoted by ‘E’ .
LAWS OF ILLUMINATION
 INVERSE SQUARE LAW OF
ILLUMINATION FIRST LAW

This law states that the Illuminance (E) at

any point on a plane perpendicular to the line
joining the point and source is inversely
proportional to the square of the distance
between the source and plane.

● Consider a point in a plane

perpendicular to path of illumination.
● The illuminance at that point will be
equal to luminous intensity at that point
divuded by square of distance between
the source and point.
 LAMBERT’S COSINE LAW OF SECOND LAW
ILLUMINATION
The law states that Illuminance at a point on
a plane is proportional to the cosine of the
angle of light incident (the angle between the
direction of the incident light and the normal
to the plane).
● Consider a point on any plane having
some angle with the source.
● Let the normal to the plane make an
angle theta with the line joining the
source and the point.
● Then the illuminance the point is equal
to the luminous intensity divided by
square of distance multiplie to the cosine
value of theta.
THANK YOU