for ex 4500k 5000k, what is that?

 

the color of the HID bulb. ie. USUALLY 5000k to 6000k is pure white. 8000k has a blueish tint to it. and 12000k and the above has a purplish tint. 4300k has the color of stock halogen bulbs, and 3000k has a YELLOW color like the is300 fog lights. im not an HID pro but thats just what i learned from all the HID threads there are on this site

 

4300k is actually pure white btw

 

search button :D

 

K = KELVIN.. which is the temperature the bulb runs at. the higher the kelvin, the more color you are gonna get and the less light output. Most stock HID systems are at 4300k which is a pure white, and that is why they use it. the lowest i have ever seen for an HID kit is 3000k which as dave said.. is a yellow. i have seen someone custom make a 2000K which was kinda ugly cuz it was orange, but it was bright.

if you are looking for aftermarket bulbs i would suggest going with 5000k bulbs or if you are going with HID's go with 4300k-6000k..

 

NOT the bulb.. it's the temperature of the color.

go wiki!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_temperature

 

thanks i got a little mixed up. guess u cant believe everything u read lol

 

ohh.. just to give you an idea if you we were talking about actual temperture (not color temperature)...
first... 0 Kelvin = –273.15 °C = −459.67 °F
which btw boiling point of water... 373.15 K... (100 °C / 212 °F)

so uhh.... about 5800 K.. is the average temp... of the surface of the SUN..

i don't think you would want to melt your car into a blob..

 

I hate Chemistry!!!...I got an "F" in it...hahaha

 

Here is a link to a write up with pics I did for toyotanation.com -
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t82775.html


Below is the post I made on TN.com with no pics

Kelvin - Definition and History

K = Kelvin ...as in degrees. lol. shoulda learned that in jr.high dirt science (aka earth science).

The Kelvin temperature scale "K" was developed by Lord Kelvin in the mid 1800s. The zero point of this scale is equivalent to -273.16 °C on the Celsius scale. This zero point is considered the lowest possible temperature of anything in the universe. Therefore, the Kelvin scale is also known as the "absolute temperature scale". At the freezing point of water, the temperature of the Kelvin scale reads 273 K. At the boiling point of water, it reads 373 K.
Whereas the Kelvin scale is widely used by scientists, the Celsius or Fahrenheit scales are used in daily life. These two scales are easier to understand than the large numbers of the Kelvin scale.



Color described in Kelvin

Myth - a light source with an 'interrupted spectrum"(all fluorescent and gas discharge lamps) can be described in Kelvin

Myth - Higher K = Blue light = less light.

Measuring color temperature in Kelvin is a system of designating a light source's spectral distribution. You don't get more or less light, you get color shifts in visable light towards Cyan the higher you go in temp.
The basis of this measuring system is the "Theoretical Black Body Radiator" (TBB) as shown in the "Black Body Locus" on the CIE Chromaticity Chart (img A).



To understand use of the Kelvin scale, you must first define what a "Black Body Radiator" does. At absolute zero - minus 273.3 ° Centigrade - this theoretical object radiates no energy. As the temperature of "Theoretical Black Body" is raised, it begins to emit energy. At about 700° C, a faint red glow becomes visible to the naked eye. As the TBB's temperature is raised to about 1517° C, it glows with a light similar to candle or firelight, 1800° K. (We started at minus 273° C and raised the temperature of the Theoretical Black Body to 1517° C - the result 1800° K). Continuing to raise the temperature will cause the Kelvin factor to rise: first to 2850K, a typical household incandescent lamp; then to 3200K, a typical studio incandescent lamp; and finally on to 5600K, nominal daylight. The Kelvin scale continues to rise to a blue sky of 28,000K (see illustration B).



The spectral distribution of the TBB is continuous as it varies from 1800K (candlelight) to 28,000K (north sky). That is the spectral energy is not "interrupted" in the visible range from 300 to 700nm (img C). However, the balance or ratio of red to blue is shifting - the higher the Kelvin, the "bluer" the light.



When describing a light source as having a Kelvin rating, it refers to a light source that emits energy across the entire visible range from 300 to 700nm. Sunlight and incandescent lamps are very good "Black Body Simulators"- they behave in a manner very close to the predictable spectral distribution of the "Theoretical Black Body Radiator." With these light sources, one need only measure the energy at two places in the spectrum - red and blue - to determine the Kelvin. However, when the light source has an "interrupted" spectrum - as do all fluorescent and gas discharge lamps - it is not correct to describe that light source as having a Kelvin temperature.

The Kelvin scale should not be used to describe light sources with an "interrupted spectrum." Sadly, the term is often misused, and by those who should know better: the lamp manufacturers

In the past, the term "Apparent Color Temperature" was used to describe light sources that "looked like" but did not behave exactly like a certain Kelvin. The use of the term "Apparent Color Temperature" was a warning that this was not an accurate description but only a guide. Unfortunately this useful description has been dropped and often replaced with "Correlated Color Temperature" (CCT) - read "Apparent Color Temperature." The objection to the use of this language is that it no longer suggests the warning. Even worse, since Correlated Color Temperature is a mouthful, lamp manufacturers will just describe a light source with an interrupted spectrum (all fluorescent and gas discharge lamps) as having its color temperature in a factor of Kelvin. This is a misuse of the Kelvin temperature scale, and can lead to many problems in film and television production or any application that requires accurate color reproduction.

Misuse of the Kelvin scale has grown with the use of light sources that do not behave in a manner similar to the "Theoretical Black Body Radiator." The need to use the Kelvin scale to describe the proximity of these newer light sources' color temperature to the well established incandescent and day light equivalents, is appreciated. However, it suggests an accurate measurement, which it is not.



And there you have it, an excerpt from Quantum physics 101.

...btw I work in a photography studio, its all basic knowledge. I have to maintain specific room temps and light levels in order to keep printers and monitors balanced to 6000K.