Why the first and the second law of illumination should be replaced with the new universal law of illumination?

Abstract

For many years, from the theoretical and practical aspects, the first and second laws of illumination have been in use. Both mentioned laws were applied in various scientific disciplines, such as physics, ergonomics, architecture, horticulture, as well as in many engineering disciplines. The first law of illumination is called the Inverse Square Law. The second law of illumination is called Lambert's Cosine Law. Conceptually, both of these laws are related to surface illumination. The first law of illumination determines the illumination of the surface on which the light ray falls at a right angle. The second law of illumination determines the illumination of a surface on which light rays fall at a certain angle different from 900. In this paper, it is shown why both of these laws are not adequate in conceptual terms. The presented examples additionally show what inaccuracies in illumination calculation can occur based on the application of these laws, especially the second law of illumination. The paper presents a new concept of illumination based on the illumination of the point of space. In addition, a new, universal law of illumination has been formulated here, which from a theoretical and practical point of view is more precise than the previously mentioned laws of illumination. This new law of illumination fully reflects the nature of the light emitted by a light source, which does not depend on the orientation of any surface upon which the light beam encounters. Previously formed first and second laws of illumination can be completely replaced from the theoretical and the practical aspect by the newly formed universal law of illumination, which opens up new possibilities for the advancement of the science of illumination and other scientific disciplines that use this knowledge.