Lamps & Ballasts
Modern technology used in luminaires, abbreviated as LED.
What is Light Emitting Diode
Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers
What is visible light
The industry's term for a light bulb.
What is a lamp?
The term used to describe a luminaire that has an asymmetric distribution, enabling the illumination of a vertical surface such as a wall.
What is a wall wash?
The term used to describe the amount of light getting to a surface or workplane.
What is illuminance.
The light that produces the least amount of visible light compared to energy consumed.
What is incandescent
A lamp type typically found in exterior or industrial applications for it's high output, abbreviated as HID.
What is High Intesity Discharge
The part of a luminaire that is used to diffuse the light from a lamp. Typically made of glass or acrylic.
What is a lens?
The name for a luminaire that has a distribution where a portion of the light output is uplight and a portion is downlight.
What is Direct/Indirect?
The metric used to measure light levels.
What is footcandles?
One footcandle is equal to this many lux.
What is 10.76 lux
Describes the precision that a light source represents true color of the objects it is lighting, abbreviated as CRI
What is Color Rendering Index
The part of a luminaire that is used to redirect light out of the fixture to achieve the desired distribution.
What is a reflector?
The term used to describe the amount of light coming out of a luminaire.
What is output - light output or lumen output?
The three main layers of lighting in a space.
What is ambient, task, and accent?
Indoor ballasts would have this sound rating
What is A sound rating
The color of a light source typically refered to in degrees Kelvin, abbreviated as CCT.
What is Corelated Color Temperature (or Color Temperature)
The term used when referring to the combination of a lamp, its holder and its housing.
What is a luminaire?
The term used to describe light that is emitted evenly in all directions.
What is diffuse?
The term used when referring to the various levels of relative brightness in a space.
What is Contrast?
Lowest sound rating on ballasts
What is F
The term used to describe uncomfortable or disabling amounts of light in an occupants view.
What is Glare?
When using multiple linear fluorescent lamps in a fixture, the type of configuration of the lamps that eliminates socket shadow.
What is staggered lamping?
The term used for light distribution from a luminaire that only emits light below 90 degrees, and is typically referred to when discussing exterior light pollution.
What is Cut-off, or Full Cut-off
The term used when describing the 'glossiness' of a surface or material.
What is specularity?