and

1.1—LIGHT

Light is a form of radiant energy from natural

sources and artificial sources. It travels in the form
of an electromagnetic wave, so it has wavelength
and a known speed. Like other electromagnetic
radiation, it can be reflected and refracted.

Lighting, on the other hand, is the application of

light to illuminate objects, surfaces, scenes,
pictures and people. Since it is an application, it is
both a science and an art.
1.1.1 Radiant Energy, Light and Color

Light is that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to which

the eye responds. This visible energy is a small part of the total
spectrum, which ranges from cosmic rays with extremely short
wavelength (1 x 10-14 meter) to electric power frequencies with
wavelength in hundred kilometers as shown in Figure 1.1. The
visible portion lies between 380 and 770 nanometers (a unit of
wavelength equal to 1 x 10-9 meter or one- billionth of a meter).

The human visual system responds to the very small part of the
electromagnetic spectrum that lies between 380 and 760
nanometers. However, it does not respond uniformly. Given
the same output of power at each wavelength, the visual system
will sense the yellow-green region as the brightest and the red
and blue region as the darkest. This is why the light source,
which has most of its power in the yellow-green area, will have
the highest visual efficiency, i.e., the highest lumens per watt.
Figure 1.1 The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Lights and pigments mix differently to form colors.
The primary colors of light (red, green, and blue) can
be added to produce the secondary colors of light–
magenta (red plus blue), cyan (green plus blue), and
yellow (red plus green). Thus, colors of light are called
“additive”. A secondary color of light mixed in the
right proportions with its opposite primary will
produce white light. Thus, yellow and blue are
complimentary colors of light as
cyan and red, and magenta and
green.

Figure 1.2 Additive Mixing (Light)

In pigments, however, a primary color is defined as
one that subtracts or absorbs a primary color of light
and reflects or transmits the other two. So the primary
colors in pigments (sometimes called subtractive
primaries) are magenta, cyan, and yellow – the
secondary colors of light.

Figure 1.3 Subtractive Mixing

1.1.2 The Eye and Vision

(a) The Eye. The rays of light enter the eye through the Cornea,
which is the transparent membrane that bulges out at the front
of the eye. They then pass through the Pupil, which is a round
opening in the colored Iris. The eye reduces the size of this
opening to limit the rays of light to the central and optically
best part of the Lens, except when the full aperture is needed
for maximum sensitivity. The pupil also closes for near vision
to increase the clarity of near objects. It can change the area of
the opening over a ratio of about 16:1 although the eye works
efficiently over a range of brightness
of about 1,000,000:1. The ability of
the eye to adjust to higher or lower
levels of luminance is termed
Adaption.

Figure 1.4 The Human Eye

The whole eye is filled with a jelly like substance and the rays pass
through this onto the lens, which focuses the image. Muscles around the
lens make it fatter or thinner so the eye can focus sharply on distant or
close objects. This ability is called Accommodation and ensures that
sharp, clear image is focused onto the light sensitive cells of the Retina.
We don't "see" with the retina—it is only when the information it collects
has been transferred along the Optical Nerve to the brain that a
conscious visual image is formed and this is the time we "see".

The retina has two basic types of Receptors—Rods and Cones for
collecting this information. By a chemical process in the retina, the eyes
are able to work over the enormous range of
brightness we see. Cones can differentiate
between the different wavelengths of light
and therefore enable us to see in color. The
rays of light are not actually colored.
The more sensitive rods only give us black
and white vision.

Figure 1.5 Rods and Cones in the Retina

(b) Vision. The cones operate during the day and
nominal daylight conditions, and enable us to see in
detailed color. This is known as Photopic or daytime
Adaptions. The eye is using a mixture of cones and rods
to see. If light conditions are not bright, as the rods can
only "see" a black and white image, the overall
impression is much less brightly colored. This is called
Mesopic vision. At even lower
levels, much lower than the
average street lighting or
moonlight, the cones cease to
function. The eye losses all its
facility to see in color and the
rods take over giving
completely black and white
vision, called Scotopic, or
nighttime Adaptions. Figure 1.6 Relative Spectral Sensitivity of the Eye
1.2—LIGHTING
1.2.1 Lighting Terminologies Introduction

A basic understanding of lighting fundamentals

is essential for specifiers and decision makers who
make decisions about lighting design, installation and
upgrades. For more detailed terminology used in the
lighting industry please refer to the glossary at the end
of this manual.
 1.2.1.1 Lighting Concepts and Units
(a) Luminous Flux (Φ).
All the radiated power
emitted by a light source
and perceived by the eye
is called luminous flux
(Φ) commonly called
light output. Unit of
measurement is lumen
(lm)
(b) Luminous Intensity (I).
Generally speaking, a light
source emits its luminous flux
(Φ) in different directions and at
different intensities. The visible
radiant intensity in a particular
direction is called luminous
intensity (I). The unit of
measurement is the candela (cd).
(c) Illuminance (E). Illuminance
(E) is a measure of the amount of
light falling on a surface. The
distance of the light source from
the area being illuminated
influences it. An illuminance of 1
lux occurs when a luminous flux
of 1 lumen is evenly distributed
over an area of 1 square meter.
Unit of measurement is lux (lx).
(d) Luminance (L). The
luminance (L) is the
brightness of an
illuminated or luminous
surface as perceived by the
human eye. Unit of
measurement is candelas
per square meter (cd/m2).
(e) Luminous Efficacy (η). Luminous efficacy
indicates the efficiency with which the electrical power
consumed is converted into light. The unit of
measurement is lumens per watt (lm/W).

(f) Luminaire Efficiency. Luminaire efficiency (also

known as the light output ratio) is an important
criterion in gauging the energy efficiency of a
luminaire. This is the ratio between the luminous flux
emitted by the luminaire and the luminous flux of the
lamp (or lamps) installed in the luminaire.