Rowlett defines foot-candle as such:
 
footcandle (fc or ftc)
a traditional unit of illuminance or illumination, defined as the illuminance received by a surface at a distance of one foot from a source of intensity one international candle. The "international candle" was the predecessor of the candela as the standard unit of light intensity. Illuminance is now measured in lux; one footcandle equals 10.764 lux or about 1.0764 milliphot. The unit is also spelled foot-candle or foot candle.
 
 
It is an obsolete unit of illuminance and has been replaced by the lux.  Thus this product should be rated in lux, as it appears to be in parenthesis.  You must contact this person and have him remove at once the obsolete term foot-candle from his literature and stick completely with the unit lux.  I would think there is an error here as 2000 lux seems like a real bright light for a dental device.  What is this device used for?  Recently I had some of my old silver amalgam filings replaced with epoxy type.  They used some type of science fiction looking type laser gun that emits a purple light for speeding up the hardening.  Is this what this product is suppose to do?  Or is this the bright light used to see into the mouth?
 
The unit watts per square centimetre is incorrect as it is stated and should be expressed as watts per square m (W/m^2).  It is not proper SI to used prefixed units (other then the kilogram) in the denominator of a fractional _expression_. 
 
In reference to the use of watts per square metre it would appear to be a measure of how much light energy is striking a one square metre surface each second.  I don't know much about light science.  But I know that the units they are using are wrong and need to be corrected.
 
Personally, a product that can't use correct units or unit conventions is a product to avoid.  The use of old and obsolete units speaks clearly that the device is the product of obsolete thinking and is of no use in the 21-st century.
 
Euric
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: "mavi fibe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, 2004-05-31 11:14
Subject: [USMA:30023] Microlux

> My wife and I attended this Dental Congress in Jasper
> this last week and she ran into the following pamphlet
> from the above-referenced company - or is it a product
> name?... (my personal "comments" - except for the Lux
> one - are in parenthesis):
>
> Question 1: What is the output for the Microlux?
> Answer: 200 Foot Candles (SIC) (over 2000 Lux)
>
> Question 2: Why is this measured in foot candles
> instead of the way we would measure curing lights in
> mW/cm2?
> Answer: Photometric measurement (foot candles) is the
> way visible light is measured because that is the way
> the human eye sees light (?? I beg your pardon???...).
>  Curing lights are measured in radiometric units
> (mW/cm2) and cannot (???) be compared to photometric
> measurements.
>
> I need help here to understand this issue better.  Can
> anyone comment on this piece above please?  It sounds
> to me that this guy's understanding of Physics is
> dismal to say the least, but since luminescence
> science is not my forte...
>
> And, finally, if someone can write these guys to
> "straighten them out" I'd really appreciate it...  I'd
> be willing to do it myself also if I could technically
> dispute their writings...
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> Marcus
>
> =====
> Jesus ONLY settles for THE best, so
> what excuse can you possibly give to NOT go SI???
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> Post your free ad now!
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>
>

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