Candela is the basic unit of measurement of light intensity. Understanding it is extremely important in the context of designing lighting installations. It is of great importance in lighting engineering, because it allows precise determination of the intensity of a light source in a specific direction. This is necessary when selecting the right lighting for interiors as well as outdoor spaces. Using candela, you can define how much light reaches the recipient, as well as what the distribution of light looks like on a given luminous surface. A unit of this type describes how bright a light source is, which helps specialists to understand its efficiency and optimal use. In the following article, we will answer the most important questions: how is light intensity defined? What is the candela measure of light intensity? How to correctly read the unit of light intensity - candela?
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How is luminosity defined?
Luminous intensity is a photometric quantity that describes the intensity of light emitted by a source in a specific direction. It is therefore a measure that shows exactly how strongly a given light source shines in a specific direction. Luminous intensity is specified in candela units. It takes into account not only the power of the light source, but also the angle at which the light is emitted. This is very helpful for lighting engineers, who are able to control the amount of light reaching specific areas.
Luminous intensity is crucial when it comes to lighting design. For example, spotlights need higher luminous intensity to focus the light beam. The situation is different when we consider diffused lighting (e.g. ceiling lighting ), which requires lower luminous intensity.
It should also be emphasized that luminous intensity refers to light visible to the human eye, so it is considered in the context of human perception. And quite differently than in the case of power expressed in lumens, luminous intensity describes the specific direction of the light beam. Thanks to this, this parameter is very important when selecting a light source for various applications, for example LED lighting .
What is the Candela measure of luminosity?
Candela (symbol cd) is the SI unit of luminous intensity. It describes the intensity of light emitted in a given direction. It is defined as the luminous intensity of a source emitting monochromatic radiation with a frequency of 540 x 10¹² Hz. It corresponds to green visible light.
However, this light color is not everything, because another parameter is equally important - the intensity of light radiation 1/683 watt per steradian. As we can see, this definition takes into account the frequency of light and its power in a given direction. This means that the candela can be used to accurately describe the intensity of different light sources. This is of great importance to designers working on lighting, when, for example, they observe the intensity of lighting in rooms.
This only proves that the candela is irreplaceable in lighting technology, especially when designing indoor and outdoor lighting systems. The parameters relating to light colour and light intensity are of great importance here. Everything must be adapted to the needs of users, as well as the specifics of the space. This ensures precise definition of what is most important - how intense the light emitted by fluorescent lamps, bulbs, reflectors or other types of sources is in a given direction.
Correct reading of the luminous intensity unit - candela
As we can see, designers and engineers have to do many things to ensure that a room is properly lit. Depending on the needs and the light source they are dealing with, they have to evaluate advanced factors such as luminance contrast, transition planes, color temperature, light curves, etc. And with all this, remember that user safety is the most important.
This is why the correct reading of the light intensity unit - candela - is so important here. Candela measures the intensity of light emitted in a specific direction, and its value allows you to understand exactly what the power of light reaching a given point is. The higher the candela value, the more focused and intense the light beam is.
Let's remember, however, that the candela describes only visible light, i.e. the light that is registered by the human eye. This means that we can easily assess how the lighting looks in a given place. This also has a significant impact when we refer to different sources, comparing them, because thanks to the candela, we can perfectly match the intensity of light to both the ambient conditions and the needs of users.