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What does 3000K warm white light and 5000K white like mean? 3000K/5000K is the color temperature of the grow light. So what is color temperature? Please keep reading this article.

 The definition of color temperature

Color temperature is a physical quantity used to define the color of a light source in lighting optics. Theoretically speaking, the black body temperature refers to the color of the black body when it is heated from absolute zero degrees (-273°C). After being heated, the black body gradually changes from black to red, turns yellow, turns white, and finally emits blue light. When the color of the light emitted by the light source is exactly the same in the visible area as the color of the light radiated by the standard black body heated to a certain absolute temperature, the temperature of the black body at this time is called the color temperature of the light source. The unit of measurement is "K" (Kelvin).

Classification of color temperature

Color temperature is an indicator of the color of the light source, not the indicator of the lamp temperature. Light sources with different color temperatures give people different impressions. Generally, color temperature can be divided into three types: cool light color, neutral light, and warm light color. In indoor lighting, The most intuitive feeling that the change of color temperature brings us is that the light changes from warm to cold. Interestingly, higher Kelvin temperatures are cool colors (5500K-7000K), while lower color temperatures are considered warm (2700K-3300K). The intuitive feeling of cool colors is that they look white and bright, giving people a cold feeling; warm colors look yellow and dark, giving people a warm feeling.

The color temperature of each light source is different. The color temperature of common visible light sources in real life is as follows:

Effects on plants

Does the color temperature affect plant growth? Not really.

The color temperature of plant lights is seen by human eyes, and the photosynthesis of plants does not depend on the color temperature. The most effective light for plant photosynthesis is the red and blue light in the visible spectrum. The human eye cannot always perceive this spectrum accurately, which is why lights with the same color temperature may have different spectral distributions, which will have different effects on plant growth. Color temperature can hardly tell us the actual chromatographic distribution of light, so the color temperature cannot be used to measure the quality of an LED grow light.

Effects on human

Human eyes develop and grow under natural light. The color temperature of 5300-7000K or below 300K is too white or dark, which is not suitable for reading; while the color temperature close to 7000K is too bright and dazzling, and it is not suitable for reading.

In addition to the effect of color temperature on the eyes, scientific research has proved that color temperature will have a significant impact on the function of the human central nervous system. High color temperature can increase the excitement of the brain, help focus, and improve alertness and arousal levels, which benefit mental load. However, such a color temperature is not conducive to fatigue recovery after mental load, especially affecting sleep quality. Therefore, low-color temperature light is suitable for bedrooms and living rooms to create a comfortable atmosphere without hindering the production of melatonin, thereby suppressing tumors, and helping the body to relax and sleep well.

The application

Using light sources with different color temperatures in different scenes can achieve great results.

Warm light color: The color temperature is 3300K and below, the effect of warm color light is similar to that of incandescent lamps, and there are more red lights, giving people a warm, healthy, and comfortable feeling. Commonly used in homes, dormitories, hotels, and other places or places with low Kelvins.

White light: The color temperature between 3300K-5300K, also known as a neutral color, the light is softer, making people happy, relaxed, and comfortable. Suitable for public places such as shops, hospitals, restaurants, restaurants, offices, etc.

Cool light color: The color temperature 5300K and above, also known as daylight color, the light source is close to natural light, and it has a bright feeling, which is easy to concentrate. Suitable for offices, conference rooms, classrooms, design rooms, reading rooms, warehouses and other places.

In addition to lighting applications, color temperature has important applications in photography, video, publishing, manufacturing, astrophysics, and other fields.