What unit is used to describe color temperature?

What unit is used to describe color temperature?

• A. Candela
• B. Watt
• C. Kelvin
• D. Lux

Answer: (C)

Color temperature describes the color appearance of light, not how bright it is, and it is measured in Kelvin. Kelvin comes from how a black-body radiator shifts color as its temperature rises—starting from warm red toward white and then cool blue-white. Lower Kelvin values give a warm, amber feel; higher values give a cool, daylight-like feel. This unit is used specifically for describing the hue of the light, while other terms measure brightness or power: candela is luminous intensity, watt is power, and lux is illuminance on a surface. So the unit for color temperature is Kelvin.

Color temperature describes the color appearance of light, not how bright it is, and it is measured in Kelvin. Kelvin comes from how a black-body radiator shifts color as its temperature rises—starting from warm red toward white and then cool blue-white. Lower Kelvin values give a warm, amber feel; higher values give a cool, daylight-like feel. This unit is used specifically for describing the hue of the light, while other terms measure brightness or power: candela is luminous intensity, watt is power, and lux is illuminance on a surface. So the unit for color temperature is Kelvin.