Unit solid angle and finite angle

In summary, the luminous flux within a specific solid angle can be smaller than the luminous intensity because the intensity is based on a unit solid angle of one steradian, while the solid angle of interest may be smaller than that.
  • #1
lkijmj
4
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Homework Statement


A point source emits visible light isotropically. Its luminous flux is 0.11 lumen. Find the flux whithin the cone that has half angle of 30 degree from the light source.

Homework Equations



luminous flux = luminous intensity * solid anlge

The Attempt at a Solution


I tried to divide the flux 0.11lumen by 4pi and then multiply the solid angle. But since the solid angle of the cone is 0.84sr, the result appears to be smaller than the luminous intensity. But I don't understand the result. Can the flux of finite solid angle be smaller than luminous intensity?
 
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  • #2
Luminous flux is the total perceived power emitted in all directions (4pi steradians).
Luminous intensity is the perceived power per unit solid angle.

So you divided the given luminous flux by 4pi steradians in order to obtain the luminous intensity, and then multiplied by the given solid angle in order to find the flux within that solid angle. Looks okay to me.
 
  • #3
But it doesn't make sense that luminous flux is smaller than luminous intensity. How can I explain this?
 
  • #4
lkijmj said:
But it doesn't make sense that luminous flux is smaller than luminous intensity. How can I explain this?
The intensity is the perceived luminous power per unit solid angle (i.e. per steradian).

You found the solid angle of interest to be 0.842 sr. That's less than one steradian. So naturally the resulting flux will be less than the flux for a whole steradian.
 

1. What is unit solid angle?

Unit solid angle is a measure of the amount of space covered by a given angle at a point in three-dimensional space. It is equal to the area of a unit sphere (a sphere with a radius of 1) divided by the square of the distance from the center of the sphere to the point where the angle is measured.

2. How is unit solid angle measured?

Unit solid angle is typically measured in steradians (sr), which is the SI unit for solid angle. One steradian is equal to the solid angle subtended by a unit sphere at its center, and it is equivalent to approximately 3282.8 square degrees.

3. What is the difference between unit solid angle and finite angle?

Unit solid angle is a measure of an infinitesimal angle at a point, whereas finite angle is a measure of an angle between two lines or planes. Unit solid angle is a three-dimensional quantity, while finite angle is a two-dimensional quantity.

4. How are unit solid angle and finite angle related?

The definition of unit solid angle can be extended to finite angles by dividing the angle into smaller and smaller pieces until it becomes infinitesimal. Therefore, unit solid angle is the limiting case of finite angle as the angle approaches zero.

5. How is unit solid angle used in physics and engineering?

Unit solid angle is used in various fields, such as optics, electromagnetism, and fluid mechanics, to calculate the amount of radiation, light, or fluid passing through a given area. It is also used to measure the intensity of point sources, such as stars or lasers, and to calculate the flux of a vector field through a surface.

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