3-4

1 E S LIGHTING HANDBOOK
Nomenclature
The precision required in the solution of engineering problems makes it
necessary that both the oral and written language used by engineers in
transmitting their ideas be precise. The standardization of terms and
then proper use is therefore encouraged.
The Illuminating Engineering Society has had a technical committee
engaged in the development of the standard nomenclature of its field for
more than thirty years. The report of this committee, Illuminating Engi-
neering Nomenclature and Photometric Standards, adopted by the society
in 1941 and approved in 1942 by the American Standards Association as
ASA Z7-1942, is the most recent of many revisions published since the
first appeared in 1910.
Because of inherent limitations of the standard nomenclature it has been
proposed from time to time that a completely different nomenclature more
conveniently related to other scientific terms and with greater generality
and international utility be adopted.
18
However, a language develops
largely as a result of usage, and because of then far-reaching influence,
changes in standard nomenclature are made very cautiously. See Table 3-2.
Table 3-2. Standard Units, Symbals, and Defining Equations for
Fundamental Quantities
QUANTITY UNITS
ABBREVIA-
TIONS
SYM-
BOLS
DEFINING EQUATIONS
RADIATIONRADIOMETRY
Radiant energy erg
joule
calorie
J
cal
U
Radiant energy
density
erg per cubic centi-
meter
erg cni~
3
u u = dU/dV
Spectral radiant
energy
erg
|
joule fper
micron
caloriej
erg
m
_1
cal
n
'
U
X
U\
= dU/d\
Radiant flux erg- per second
'watt
erg sec~'
w *P
* = dU/dt
Radiant flux
density or ra-
diancy
'Radiant emit-
tance
watt per square
centimeter
*Watt per si/uare meter
w cm
-2
w m
-2
w W = d$/dA
Irradiancy
*
'
Irradiance
watt per square cen-
timeter
*watt per square meter
w cm~
2
w m
-2
H H = d$>/dA
Radiant in-
tensity
watt per steradian W
0.-1
J J
= d$/dw
Spectral radi-
ant intensity
watt per steradian
per micron
W
w-i
m
_1
Jx Jx
= dJ/d\
Steradiancy
*Radiance
watt per steradian per
square centimeter
"watt per steradian per
square meter
W to
-1
cm
-2
W or
1
m-2
N
N
= dJ/(dA cos 8)
6 = angle between line of sight and
normal to surface considered