Lambert (unit)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The lambert (symbol L) is a unit of luminance named for Johann Heinrich Lambert (1728 - 1777), a German mathematician, physicist and astronomer. A related unit of luminance, the foot-lambert, is used in the lighting, cinema and flight simulation industries. The SI unit is the candela per square metre (cd/m²).

[edit] Definition

1 lambert (L) = \frac{1}{\pi} candela per square centimetre (0.3183 cd/cm²) or \frac{10^4}{\pi} cd m-2

[edit] References