Radiance

Radiance

Radiance (/ˈreɪdiəns/) is a term used in physics and optics to describe the amount of light that passes through or is emitted from a particular area, and falls within a given solid angle. The SI unit of radiance is the watt per steradian per square metre (W·sr⁻¹·m⁻²).

Etymology

The term "radiance" comes from the Latin word "radiantia", which means "shining, gleaming". It was first used in the scientific context in the early 20th century.

Related Terms

• Luminance: In photometry, luminance is the total amount of light emitted, transmitted, or reflected from a surface, per unit solid angle per unit projected area.
• Irradiance: In radiometry, irradiance is the total power of electromagnetic radiation incident on a surface, per unit area.
• Radiosity: In computer graphics, radiosity is an algorithm used to simulate surface color by accounting for indirect illumination.
• Spectral Radiance: Spectral radiance is the radiance of a surface per unit frequency or wavelength, depending on whether the spectrum is taken as a function of frequency or of wavelength.

See Also

• Radiometry
• Photometry (optics)
• Light
• Electromagnetic radiation

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Radiance
• Wikipedia's article - Radiance

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