SAT2物理常用术语词汇整理（C）

　　Completely inelastic collision

　　A collision in which the colliding particles stick together.

　　Component

　　Any vector can be expressed as the sum of two mutually perpendicular component vectors. Usually, but not always, these components are multiples of the basis vectors, and ; that is, vectors along the x-axis and y-axis. We define these two vectors as the x- and y-components of the vector.

　　Compression

　　An area of high air pressure that acts as the wave crest for sound waves. The spacing between successive compressions is the wavelength of sound, and the number of successive areas of compression that arrive at the ear per second is the frequency, or pitch, of the sound.

　　Concave lens

　　Also called a diverging lens, a lens that is thinner in the middle than at the edges. Concave lenses refract light away from a focal point.

　　Concave mirror

　　A mirror that is curved such that its center is farther from the viewer than the edges, such as the front of a spoon. Concave mirrors reflect light through a focal point.

　　Conduction

　　Heat transfer by molecular collisions.

　　Conservation of Angular Momentum

　　If the net torque acting on a rigid body is zero, then the angular momentum of the body is constant or conserved.

　　Conservation of momentum

　　The principle stating that for any isolated system, linear momentum is constant with time.

　　Constant of proportionality

　　A constant in the numerator of a formula.

　　Constructive interference

　　The amplification of one wave by another, identical wave of the same sign. Two constructively interfering waves are said to be “in phase.”

　　Convection

　　Heat transfer via the mass movement of molecules.

　　Convex lens

　　Also called a converging lens, a lens that is thicker in the middle than at the edges. Convex lenses refract light through a focal point.

　　Convex mirror

　　A mirror that is curved such that its center is closer to the viewer than the edges, such as a doorknob. Convex mirrors reflect light away from a focal point.