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Does the type of wick affect the brightness of a candle?

Kailani Parkinson

Masters

Physical Science

Period 4

12/1/2020

Word Count: 870

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Kailani Parkinson

Masters

Physical Science

Period 4

12/1/2020

Does the type of wick affect the brightness of a candle?

Many candle-makers have wondered if the type of wick affects the brightness of a

candle? There are many different types of wicks that affect the brightness of a candle. In order to

measure the amount of light that is emitted, a light measuring device is used. When burning a

candle, there are plenty of different chemical reactions that happen. The material of wick affects

a lot of different variables of a candle as well.

In order to test if the type of wick affects the brightness of a candle, there are plenty of

different measurements and how to use them. The measurements for light intensity are lux or

footcandles . ​Lumens are the amount of visible light the human can see . The higher the

lumen output the brighter the light is, the lower the output the dimmer the light is . One of

the measurements for measuring light intensity is footcandles, the number of lumens per

square foot . The other measurement is lux, the number of lumens per square meter.

Luminous Flux is how to measure the total amount of light coming from a source. A lux

(1-meter square surface) is required to find the luminous flux value (How 1).

In order to measure light intensity, a light meter is used. Here’s how to use a light

meter to measure light intensity. First, they would need to turn off any light in the room

that they are going to measure. Then they would turn on the light meter to figure out what

the baseline measurement is (the ambient light). After they take the baseline
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measurement, they turn back on the light they will measure , and then take the new

measurement. Be sure to give the lighting some time to reach full brightness. After this,

they would subtract their ambient light from the illuminated level, the amount of light the

existing luminaires produce or the ambient light plus the light they will measure. So if they

had an ambiance light of 3 lux and an illuminated level of 2 lux it would be 1 lux in total.

After they have done those 3 steps, they should check their measurements again, they

might’ve missed a few blind spots (How 1).

Now that we’ve gone over the measurements, let’s talk about how to use a light

measurer to measure light intensity]. A hand-held light meter measures light intensity and

calculates exposure. It calculates an aperture and shutter value. An aperture value is an

area in which light can enter the camera. Shutter value controls the duration of the

exposure. There are two kinds of light meters. The incidental light meter measures the

amount of light falling on the subject. They hold the light meter in front of the subject and it

measures the amount of light in its lumisphere or white domeThis light meter disregards

how light or dark the subject is and gets rid of the errors caused by backlit subjects. The

other kind of light meter is the reflective light meter. It records the levels reflected by the

subject. So the light travels from its source, bounces off the subject, and then the light is

picked up by the light meter (Opp 1).

When a candle is burnt, there are several different chemical reactions going on. The

candle wax burns and gives water and carbon dioxide which then dissipates in the air

around the candle and gives off light and heat. Light and heat are radiated in all directions

of the flame. Only 1 quarter of the energy from combustion comes out as heat. The heat

maintains the reaction and vaporizes wax so it can burn, which melts it to maintain the
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supply of fuel. The reaction will end when there isn’t enough wax or enough heat to burn

the wax (Anne 1).

The material of candlewick can change a lot about a candle. Different sizes of wick

allow for different amounts of fuel for the flame. There are 4 different types of wicks. Flat

wicks, Square wicks, Cored wicks, Wooden wicks. Flat wicks are made from three bundles

of fiber. They are the most commonly used wick. They are consistent in burning and curl

the flame in for a self-trimming effect. Square wicks are braided or knitted wicks that

similarly to the flat wicks, curl in the flame. Cored wicks are also braided or knitted wicks

that have a core material that keeps the wick upright. The use of different core materials

gives a stiffness effect. The most common materials are cotton, paper, zinc, or tin . Wooden

wicks are made from 100% wood, semi-wood, or cotton and wood. They’re mainly used for

their soft crackling sound (Elements 1). Both wooden wicks and cotton wicks ignite easily

(Sarah 1). Paper wicks burn very hot and create a large melt pool (Candle 1).

Does the type of wick affect the brightness of a candle? Hand-held light meters use lux

and footcandles to measure luminosity. Chemical reactions cause a majority of what is seen in

candles. There are many different types of wicks, and each wick does a different thing for the

candle. The type of wick will affect the brightness of a candle.

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Citation Page

Admin. “Science of Candle Wicks.” ​Natures Garden Fragrance Oils,​ 15 Feb. 2013,

www.naturesgardencandles.com/blog/science-of-candle-wicks/.

“All About Wicks.” ​Candle Making: All About Candle Wicks,​ 2010,

www.letsmakecandles.com/Info_All_About_Wicks_603.asp.

Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. “Find out Where Candle Wax Goes When a Candle Burns.”

ThoughtCo,​ www.thoughtco.com/where-does-candle-wax-go-607886.

Buddies, Science. “Science with a Smartphone: Measure Light with Lux.” ​Scientific American​,

Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2019,

www.scientificamerican.com/article/science-with-a-smartphone-measure-light-with-lux.

“Candle Wicks Guide - Choosing the Right Candle Wick.” ​LSCS,​

www.lonestarcandlesupply.com/candle-making/candle-wicks/guide-to-wicking

“Elements of a Candle: Fragrance.” ​National Candle Association,​ 23 July 2020,

candles.org/elements-of-a-candle/fragrance/.

“Elements of a Candle: Wicks.” ​National Candle Association,​ 23 July 2020,

candles.org/elements-of-a-candle/wicks/.

“How to Measure Light Intensity: Understanding & Using a Lux Meter.” ​BIOS Lighting​, 21

Oct. 2020, bioslighting.com/human-centric-lighting/how-to-measure-light-intensity/.

S., Sarah. “Wooden Wicks vs Cotton Wicks.” ​Sweetdishndarling,​ Sweetdishndarling, 2 Apr.

2019, www.darlingcandles.com/post/wooden-wicks-vs-cotton-wicks.

Opp, Jeffrey. “How to Use a Hand-Held Light Meter to Make Perfectly Exposed

Photographs.” ​Photo & Video Envato Tuts+,​ Envato Tuts, 6 June 2015,
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photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-use-a-hand-held-light-meter-to-make-perfectl

y-exposed-photographs--cms-24142.