This is a triangle calculator.
Specifically, this is the open source triangle-calculator provided here:
https://ostermiller.org/calc/triangle.html
Since an LED emits light roughly in the shape of a cone, we can use triangle math to predict the amount of area an LED in a particular installation will light up.
After the calculator has any three parts (not only the ones I entered) of the triangle, it will calculate the rest of the parts.
In the calculator pictured, I’ve entered the three values that are depicted in green – the calculator figured out the rest.
For this example, I know:
- I have 90° lenses
- I have to cover a 20″+ diameter of surface area
I need to know how high to mount the fixture to get 20″ in diameter of coverage.
Here’s how I filled out the calculator:
- Divide the 90º lens by two to get angle 1: 90° / 2 = 45°
- The light is perpendicular to the water, so angle 2 is 90°
- Divide the diameter by two for the radius you need to cover, for side 1: 20″ / 2 = 10“
From this, the calculator tells us (side 2) that the light should be mounted 10″ above the water.
Here’s a simple diagram I created based on some similar calculations:
Reef Success 