What is a 2 pin Two Pin compact fluorescent lamp?
Type of lamps that have the glow bottle starter built into the base of the lamp. Traditionally 2-pin lamps are designed to work with electromagnetic ballasts.
- What are the T-12, T-8, and T-5
A designation for the diameter of a tubular bulb in eighths of an inch; T-12 is 12 eighths of an inch, or 11/2 inches; T-8 is 1 inch, and so on.
- What is a Reflector Lamp?
A light source with a built-in reflecting surface. Sometimes, the term is used to refer specifically to blown bulbs like the R and ER lamps; at other times, it includes all reflectorized lamps like PAR and MR.
- What is Specular Reflection?
Reflection from a smooth, shiny surface, as opposed to diffuse reflection.
- What is a Quartz Bulb?
A name for fused silica or melted sand from which many high-temperature containers are fashioned in the lighting industry. Quartz looks like glass but can withstand the high temperatures needed to contain high intensity arc discharges.
- What does PAR mean?
PAR is an acronym for parabolic aluminized reflector. A PAR lamp, which may utilize either an incandescent filament, a halogen filament tube or a HID arc tube, is a precision pressed-glass reflector lamp. PAR lamps rely on both the internal reflector and prisms in the lens for control of the li ...
- What is the National Energy Standards for Fluorescent Ballasts?
A federal law enacted in 1988 that sets energy standards for ballasts consistent throughout the United States.
- What are MR-16 and MR-11's ?
A line of low voltage compact reflector lamps used for accent and spot lighting. The 16 and 11 refer to 16 eighths of an inch diameter and 11 eighths.
- What is the correct Mounting Height?
Distance from the bottom of the fixture to either the floor or work plane, depending on usage.
- What is Monochromatic Light?
Light with only one wavelength (i.e. color) present.
- What is Mesopic?
Typically referring to nighttime outdoor lighting conditions, the region between photopic and scotopic vision.
- What is the Mogul Base?
A screw base used on larger lamps and many HID lamps.
- What is the Mercury Lamp?
A high-intensity discharge light source operating at a relatively high pressure (about 1 atmosphere) and temperature in which most of the light is produced by radiation from excited mercury vapor. Phosphor coatings on some lamp types add additional light and improve color rendering.
- What is Medium Base?
Usually refers to the screw base typically used in household incandescent lamps. There is also the medium bipin base commonly used in T12 and T8 fluorescent lamps.
- What are the Mean Lumens?
The average light output of a lamp over its rated life. Based on the shape of the lumen depreciation curve, for fluorescent and metal halide lamps, mean lumens are measured at 40% of rated lamp life. For mercury, high-pressure sodium and incandescent lamps, mean lumen ratings refer to lumens at ...
- What is Lux?
A unit of illuminance or light falling onto a surface. One lux is equal to one lumen per square meter. Ten lux approximately equals one footcandle.
- What is Luminance?
A measure of "surface brightness" when an observer is looking in the direction of the surface. It is measured in candelas per square meter (or per square foot) and was formerly referred to as "photometric brightness."
- What is a Luminaire?
A complete lighting unit consisting of a lamp (or lamps), ballast (or ballasts) as required together with the parts designed to distribute the light, position and protect the lamps and connect them to the power supply. A luminaire is often referred to as a fixture.
- What is Luminaire Efficiency?
The ratio of total lumens emitted by a luminaire to those emitted by the lamp or lamps used in that luminaire.
- What is Lumen Maintenance?
A measure of how well a lamp maintains its light output over time. It may be expressed numerically or as a graph of light output vs. time.
