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candlepower

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Also known as candle power

Candlepower (abbreviated as cp or CP) is a unit of measurement for luminous intensity. It expresses levels of light intensity relative to the light emitted by a candle of specific size and constituents. The historical candlepower is equal to 0.981 candelas. In modern usage, candlepower is sometimes used as a synonym for candela.

Key facts

Unit.name
Candlepower
Unit.image
Candle.jpg
Unit.caption
The candlepower was based on the light emitted from a candle
Unit.standard
international standard (obsolete)
Unit.quantity
Luminous intensity
Unit.symbol
cp
Unit.units1
SI units
Unit.inunits1
1 candela (modern definition)

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Show 3 more facts
conversion to SI unit
1.0114
unit symbol
cp
inception
1860-00-00
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~4 min read

Article

6 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Calibration of lamps
  • Modern use
  • See also
  • Notes and references
  • Further reading

Candlepower (abbreviated as cp or CP) is a unit of measurement for luminous intensity. It expresses levels of light intensity relative to the light emitted by a candle of specific size and constituents. The historical candlepower is equal to 0.981 candelas. In modern usage, candlepower is sometimes used as a synonym for candela.

==History== The term candlepower was originally defined in the United Kingdom, by the Metropolitan Gas Act 1860, as the light produced by a pure spermaceti candle that weighs and burns at a rate of . Spermaceti is a material from the heads of sperm whales, and was once used to make high-quality candles.

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