Desk-illumination heatmap preserved from the earlier project entry, with values labeled in lux.

Heatmap preserved from the original portfolio materials. The underlying measurement dataset is not included in the available project archive. [1]

Desk Illumination Modeling and Measurement

Overview

A mathematical exploration of desk illumination using an inverse-square model, spatial geometry, and a heatmap preserved from the original project notes.

Skills used

Mathematical modeling Spatial geometry Data visualization

Context and problem

This exploration considered how illumination varied over a desk beneath a single lamp. The preserved project notes describe an inverse-square model and a spatial heatmap, connecting an everyday lighting problem with mathematical modeling. [1]

My role and contributions

My earlier portfolio entry described developing the spatial model and visualizing desk-illumination measurements. The original report, complete dataset, and collaborator record are not available in the current archive, so the extent of individual and shared work remains unverified. [1]

Methods and tools

The earlier notes represented desk positions as points on a plane and related their distance from the lamp to an inverse-square expression. They also included a partial Python plotting example. That example does not contain a complete measurement dataset or a reproducible analysis. [1]

Desk and lamp geometry illustration preserved with the original project materials.

Desk geometry illustration from the earlier entry. [1]

Coordinate diagram showing the modeled position of the light relative to the desk.

Light-position diagram used in the spatial model. [1]

Results

The surviving heatmap and geometry diagrams document the visual presentation of the exploration. They do not, by themselves, establish measurement accuracy, model agreement, or illumination efficiency. I have withheld the earlier numerical sample-count, measurement-spacing, and validation claims until they can be checked against the original report and measurements. [1]

Outcomes, limitations, and next steps

The materials preserve a connection between spatial geometry and desk-lighting visualization. A fuller evaluation requires the original model assumptions, lamp and instrument information, complete measurements, and a comparison between predicted and observed illuminance. The simplified expression also needs its illumination geometry reviewed before it is presented as a validated desk-plane model. [1]

References

  1. [1] “Mapping the Illumination of a Desk,” earlier portfolio entry and associated images, source snapshot 07bd891, archived Oct. 1, 2026. Primary study report and complete measurements were not supplied.