Point by Point
Calculation
Illumination is the amount of quantity of light that
falls on a given point or area.
I
E= 𝑑 2 cosθ
E = illumination at point P
I = candle power of the source
= luminous intensity measured in candelas
d = distance of the light source from point P
θ = angle between the incident ray and the normal
line
Review
Laws for Point Sources of Light
• Inverse Square Law
The illuminance, E
equals to the ratio of
the intensity of light
source, I and the
distance squared, d2.
Sample Problem #1:
A light source with an intensity of 100 candelas is
suspended 4 m above a horizontal plane. Calculate
the illumination at a point directly below the lamp.
Review
Laws for Point Sources of Light
• Cosine Law of Incidence
Lambert’s cosine law states
that the illuminance falling
on any surface depends
on the cosine of the light’s
angle of incidence, θ.
Sample Problem #2:
A 100-cd lamp, which emits light uniformly in all
directions, is suspended 2.5 m above the center of
the working table, which is 3 m square. Calculate
the illumination at each corner of the table.
Mean spherical candle power (I) – defined as the mean of the
candle power in all directions above or below the horizontal
plane passing through the source of light.
total lumens emitted by lamp ϕ
I= =
solid angle () 4π
Intensity
Solid angle,
Illumination from more than one light source
Etotal = Elamp1 + Elamp2 + Elamp3
Relation between Height (h) and Distance (x) to
received Maximum Illumination
Note: Distance x is fixed while
the height h is variable
x
h=
2
Sample Problem #3:
Four lamps are suspended 6 m above the ground at
the corners of a lawn 4 m on each side. If each
lamp emits 250 cd, calculate the illumination at the
center of the lawn.
Sample Problem #4:
Two lamps of 36 CP and 16 CP are one meter apart.
Determine the distance from 36 CP lamp of a point
along the line so as to have equal illumination on it.
Sample Problem #5:
Two lamps A and B of 3000 and 4000 candles
respectively are situated 50 m apart. The height of
A above the ground level is 10 m and that of B is 15
m. If a photometer is placed at the center of the line
joining the two lamp posts, find its reading.
Sample Problem #6:
A small light source with intensity uniformly
distributed in all direction is mounted at a height of
10m above the horizontal surface. Two points A and
B lie on a surface with point A directly beneath the
source. How far B from A if the illumination at B is
only 1/10 as great as that of A?