KENYATTA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Department of Architecture and Interior Design

Bachelor of Architecture/Architectural Studies

Year Two; Semester Two (2017/2018)

ARC 210: BUILDING SCIENCE II - LIGHTING

Tutor: - Arch. Robinson O. Manguro

LESSON 04: NATURE OF LIGHT

The nature of light

The word “wavelength” is used to express the wave or undulating property of light. It is the distance
that light travels in one oscillation, and is often expressed using a unit called "nanometer". One
nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter. Our eyes can only see light that is of a wavelength
between approximately 400 to 700 nanometers. This range is called the visible light. The light of
other wavelengths includes X-rays, ultraviolet rays, and infrared rays. Though we cannot see them
directly, these are also members of the light family.
On the other hand, light also has the property of a particle. The intensity of the light varies depending
on the number of particles. Bright light has many particles while dark light has fewer particles. These
particles of light are called “photons”.
Transmission of light

When in a vacuum such as outer space where no matter is present, light travels straightforward.
However, light behaves in a variety of ways when it comes in contact with water, air, and other
matters – it is "absorbed", "transmitted through", "reflected", and "scattered". When light strikes
matter, a part of that light is absorbed into the matter
(a) and is transformed into heat energy. If the matter that the light strikes is a transparent material, the
light component that was not absorbed within the material is “transmitted” through and exits to the
outer side of the material.
(b), If the surface of the material is smooth (a mirror for example), “reflection” occurs
(c).but if the surface is irregular having pits and protrusions, the light “scatters”
The “transmitted,” “reflected,” or “scattered” light allows our eyes to see the colors and shapes of
objects.
.

(a) Absorption

(b) Reflection, Transmission

(C) Scattering
Scattering of Light
by small particles and molecules in the atmosphere
Different from reflection, where radiation is deflected in one direction, some particles and molecules
found in the atmosphere have the ability to scatter solar radiation in all directions. The
particles/molecules which scatter light are called scatterers and can also include particulates made by
human industry.

Selective scattering (or Rayleigh scattering) occurs when certain particles are more effective at
scattering a particular wavelength of light. Air molecules, like oxygen and nitrogen for example, are
small in size and thus more effective at scattering shorter wavelengths of light (blue and violet). The
selective scattering by air molecules is responsible for producing our blue skies on a clear sunny day.
Another type of scattering (called Mie Scattering) is responsible for the white appearance of clouds.
Cloud droplets with a diameter of 20 micrometers or so are large enough to scatter all
visible wavelengths more or less equally. This means that almost all of the light which enters clouds
will be scattered. Because all wavelengths are scattered, clouds appear to be white.
When clouds become very deep, less and less of the incoming solar radiation makes it through to the
bottom of the cloud, which gives these clouds a darker appearance.

Refraction
Refraction is the bending of a wave when it enters a medium where its speed is different. The
refraction of light when it passes from a fast medium to a slow medium bends the light ray toward the
normal to the boundary between the two media. The amount of bending depends on the indices of
refraction of the two media and is described quantitatively by Snell's Law.

Refraction is responsible for

image formation by lenses and
the eye.

The bending of refraction can be visualized in terms of Huygen's principle. As the speed of light is
reduced in the slower medium, the wavelength is shortened proportionately. The frequency is
unchanged; it is a characteristic of the source of the light and unaffected by medium changes.
The indices of refraction of some common substances are given below with a more complete
description of the indices for optical glasses given elsewhere. The values given are approximate and
do not account for the small variation of index with light wavelength which is called dispersion.

Material n Material n

Vacuum 1.000 Ethyl alcohol 1.362

Air 1.000277 Glycerine 1.473

Water 4/3 Ice 1.31

Carbon disulfide 1.63 Polystyrene 1.59

Methylene iodide 1.74 Crown glass 1.50-1.62

Diamond 2.417 Flint glass 1.57-1.75

Reflection – colored light,

Reflection is when light bounces off an object. If the surface is smooth and shiny, like glass, water or
polished metal, the light will reflect at the same angle as it hit the surface. This is called specular
reflection

Types of reflection
Light reflects from a smooth surface at the same angle as it hits the surface. For a smooth surface,
reflected light rays travel in the same direction. This is called specular reflection. For a rough surface,
reflected light rays scatter in all directions. This is called diffuse reflection.
Diffuse reflection is when light hits an object and reflects in lots of different directions. This happens
when the surface is rough. Most of the things we see are because light from a source has reflected off
it.
For example, if you look at a bird, light has reflected off that bird and travelled in nearly all
directions. If some of that light enters your eyes, it hits the retina at the back of your eyes. An
electrical signal is passed to your brain, and your brain interprets the signals as an image.

Specular reflection

The angle at which light hits a reflecting surface is called the angle of incidence, and the angle at
which light bounces off a reflecting surface is called the angle of reflection
If you want to measure these angles, imagine a perfectly straight line at a right angle to the reflective
surface (this imaginary line is called ‘normal’). If you measure the angle of incidence and the angle of
reflection against the normal, the angle of incidence is exactly the same as the angle of reflection.
With a flat mirror, it is easy to show that the angle of reflection is the same as the angle of incidence.
Water is also a reflective surface. When the water in a lake or sea is very still, the reflection of the
landscape is perfect, because the reflecting surface is very flat. However, if there are ripples or waves
in the water, the reflection becomes distorted. This is because the reflecting surface is no longer flat
and may have humps and troughs caused by the wind.
It is possible to make mirrors that behave like humps or troughs, and because of the different way they
reflect light, they can be very useful.
 MUNSELL COLOR SYSTEM
Professor Albert H. Munsell, an artist and art teacher, developed the basic principles of his color order
system mainly for the purpose of bringing order to the study of color. Munsell wanted the study of
color to be similar to the study of music, which had order so that one could “hear” how a composition
would sound by reading the notes. Likewise, Munsell wanted one to “see” color based on its three-
dimensional attributes of hue, value and chromaMunsell color order system is based on a three-
dimensional model depicted in the Munsell color tree. Each color has three qualities or attributes:
(i) Hue – color such as red, orange, yellow, etc.
(ii) Value – the lightness or darkness of a color
(iii) Chroma – the saturation or brilliance of a color
Hue, value and chroma are also referred to as (HVC)
The Munsell Color system is set up as a numerical scale with visually uniform steps for each of the
three color attributes—in Munsell color notation, each color has a logical and visual relationship to all
other colors.

Munsell Hue

Hue is that attribute of a color by which we distinguish red from green, blue from yellow, etc. There is
a natural order of hues: red, yellow, green, blue, purple.
One can mix paints of adjacent colors in this series and obtain a continuous variation from one to the
other. For example, red and yellow may be mixed in any proportion to obtain all the hues red through
orange to yellow. The same is said of yellow and green, green and blue, blue and purple, and purple
and red. This series returns to the starting point, so it can be arranged around a circle.
Munsell called red, yellow, green, blue, and purple “principal hues” and placed them at equal intervals
around a circle. He inserted five intermediate hues: yellow-red, green-yellow, blue-green, purple-blue
and red-purple, making ten hues in all. For simplicity, he used the initials as symbols to designate the
ten hue sectors: R, YR, Y, GY, G, BG, B, PB, P, and RP.
Value indicates the lightness of a color. The scale of value ranges from 0 for pure black to 10 for
pure white. Black, white and the grays (as shown in figure 2) between them are called “neutral
colors”. They have no hue. Colors that have a hue are called “chromatic colors.”
The value scale applies to chromatic as well as neutral colors. The value scale is illustrated for all
neutral colors on the chart labeled Munsell’s Nearly Neutral, included in this book of color.

Munsell Value

Value indicates the lightness of a color. The scale of value ranges from 0 for pure black to 10 for
pure white. Black, white and the grays (as shown in figure 2) between them are called “neutral
colors”. They have no hue. Colors that have a hue are called “chromatic colors.”
The value scale applies to chromatic as well as neutral colors. The value scale is illustrated for all
neutral colors on the chart labeled Munsell’s Nearly Neutral, included in this book of color.
Munsell Chroma

Chroma is the departure degree of a color from the neutral color of the same value. Colors of low
chroma are sometimes called “weak,” while those of high chroma (as shown in figure 3) are said to be
“highly saturated,” “strong,” or “vivid.”
Imagine mixing a vivid red paint, a little at a time, with a gray paint of the same value. If you started
with gray and gradually added red until the vivid red color was obtained, the series of gradually
changing colors would exhibit increasing chroma.
The scaling of chroma is intended to be visually uniform and is very nearly so. The units are constant.
The scale starts at zero, for neutral colors, but there is no arbitrary end to the scale.
As new pigments have become available, Munsell color chips of higher chroma have been made for
many hues and values. The chroma scale for normal reflecting materials extends beyond 20 in some
cases. Fluorescent materials may have chromas as high as 30.