candle
Let an agent explain candles, their materials and kinds, relay history, cultural and religious uses with attribution, and relay fire safety and product standards.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Identify What candle this is.
Kind
Kind and material.
Kind
Kind.
- What kind of candle is it, and what is it made of? definition
- Is the item a candle, an oil lamp, incense or an electric imitation? boundary
How
How candles burn.
How
How.
- How does a candle burn, and what determines flame and burn time? definition
- Which entry fits combustion? action
Use Uses and culture.
Religious
Religious and ceremonial use.
Religious
Religious.
- How are candles used in religious and ceremonial practice, with attribution? provenance
- Is the presentation respectful? boundary
Everyday
Everyday and decorative use.
Everyday
Everyday.
- How are candles used for decoration, scent and celebration? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific kind? action
Safety Safety and standards.
Fire
Fire safety.
Fire
Fire.
- What fire safety advice and standards apply to candles? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Emissions
Emissions and health.
Emissions
Emissions.
- What do studies say about candle emissions and indoor air? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Context History and making.
History
History.
History
History.
- How did candles develop from tallow and beeswax through spermaceti to paraffin, and how did candle clocks work? provenance
- Which entry fits the history of lighting? action
Making
Candle making.
Making
Making.
- How are candles made by hand and industrially? provenance
- Which entry fits candle making? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Activities and processes
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- ACT
- Domain
- ACT.ACT
- Other names and narrower kinds
- candle clock, Joss stick, spermaceti candle, outdoor candle, birthday candle, Warosoku, Argizaiola, This Smells Like My Vagina, trench candle, grave candle, tealight, tallow candle
What it is Filled
A light source consisting of a wick embedded in a solid fuel such as wax, tallow, spermaceti or paraffin that burns steadily when lit, used historically for illumination and today for ceremony, religion, decoration, scent and emergency light, in forms such as birthday candles, outdoor candles and Japanese warosoku; candle clocks once measured time, and candles are regulated for fire and emissions safety.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain candles, their materials and kinds, relay history, cultural and religious uses with attribution, and relay fire safety and product standards.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Self-contained fuel and wick
- Ceremonial and religious roles
- Historical timekeeping
- Fire safety concerns
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Leave a lit candle unattended or near curtains, paper or other fuel.
- Light candles in places where open flame is forbidden, such as near oxygen supply or in some heritage buildings.
- Move or extinguish candles used in worship or memorials without the community's permission.
- Misrepresent scented candles as medically therapeutic.
Only with a human decision
- Lighting a candle in a home or venue on behalf of its occupants.
May
- Describe candle types, fuels and safe use.
- Remind people to put out candles before leaving a room or going to sleep.
Moral aspects Filled
- Candles cause house fires, often in homes of older or vulnerable people.
- Candles carry religious and memorial meaning that deserves respect.
Who is affected
- Occupants of the room
- Children and pets
- Worshippers and mourners
Owners Filled
Steward
The person who keeps and lights it; the keeper of a place of worship for candles placed there.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q113383399 - registry parent class
- Q20087093 - registry parent class
- Q28877 - registry parent class
- Q837718 - registry parent class
related
- portable light source - in registry terms
- good - in registry terms
- wax - and a wick
- candela - the SI unit
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.candle
- Wikidata: Q12888135 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12888135)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
- flame temperature: about 1000-1400 degrees C
- candela origin: one candle reference - historical basis of the luminous intensity unit
Plane ACT: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Wick in solid fuel burning as a light
- Wax, tallow, spermaceti, paraffin and plant waxes
- Oil lamps burn liquid fuel; incense sticks burn for scent; electric candles imitate
- A cylinder or shaped block of wax with a central wick, burning with a small flame.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain materials and kinds
- relay history and uses
- relay safety and standards
- distinguish from related items
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- House fires from unattended candles
- Soot and emissions
- Burns
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Candle fire safety standards such as EN 15493 and ASTM F2417
- Emission and labelling rules for candles
- Fire codes for candle use in venues
Context of use required Filled
- Light, ceremony, decoration and scent.
- tallow, beeswax, spermaceti and paraffin candles
- birthday and decorative candles
- religious and ceremonial candles
- outdoor and garden candles
- Japanese warosoku
- candle clocks
- incense sticks as a related item
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q12888135: candle - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Candle - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should candle clock and warosoku be separate entries?
- How should safety standards be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming kinds and incense; should they be split off?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q12888135/spec.json