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 Talk Talk - Communication terms
Category: General technical and industrial
Date & country: 28/05/2010, UK
Words: 18630


concentration
In chemistry, the amount of a substance (solute) present in a specified amount of a solution. Either amount may be specified as a mass or a volume (liquids only). Common units used are moles per cubic decimetre, grams per cubic decimetre, grams per 100 cubic centimetres, and grams per 100 grams. The term also refers to the process of increasing the...

condensation
(chemistry) In organic chemistry, a reaction in which two organic compounds combine to form a larger molecule, accompanied by the removal of a smaller molecule (usually water). This is also known as an addition–elimination reaction. Polyamides (such as nylon) and polyesters (such as Teryl...

conservation of energy
Principle that states that in a chemical reaction, the total amount of energy in the system remains unchanged. Energy can be transferred from one form into another but cannot be created or destroyed. In a chemical reaction, for each component there may be changes in energy due to change of physical state, changes in the nature of chemical bonds, an...

conservation of mass
In chemistry, the principle that states that in a chemical reaction the sum of all the masses of the substances involved in the reaction (reactants) is equal to the sum of all of the masses of the substances produced by the reaction (products) – that is, no matter is gained or lost

constant composition, law of
In chemistry, the law that states that the proportions of the amounts of the elements in a pure compound are always the same and are independent of the method by which the compound was produced

contrabassoon
Double-reed woodwind instrument, also known as the double bassoon. It is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower

coriander
Pungent fresh herb belonging to the parsley family, native to Europe and Asia; also a spice made from its dried ripe seeds. The spice is used commercially as a flavouring in meat products, bakery goods, tobacco, gin, liqueurs, chilli, and curry powder. Both are commonly used in cooking in the Mid...

congenital disease
In medicine, a disease that is present at birth. It is not necessarily genetic in origin; for example, congenital herpes may be acquired by the baby as it passes through the mother's birth canal

cooking
Heat treatment of food to make it more palatable, digestible, and safe. It breaks down connective tissue in meat, making it tender, and softens the cellulose in plant tissue. Some nutrients may be lost in the process, but this does not affect the overall nutritional value of a balanced diet. Cookery has been practised since prehistoric times, becom...

collectivization
Policy pursued by the Soviet leader Josef Stalin in the USSR after 1929 to reorganize agriculture by taking land into state ownership or creating collective farms. Much of this was achieved during the first two five-year plans but only by forcible means and with much loss of life among the peasantry. Stalin's ruthless pursuit of collectiviz...

corundum
Native aluminium oxide and the hardest naturally occurring mineral known, apart from diamond (corundum rates 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness); lack of cleavage also increases its durability. Its crystals are barrel-shaped prisms of the trigonal system. Varieties of gem-quality corundum are ruby (red) and sapphire (any colour other than ...

Coppola, Francis
(Ford) US film director and screenwriter. He directed The Godfather (1972), which became one of the biggest moneymaking films of all time, and its sequels The Godfather Part II (1974), which won seven Academy Awards, and The Godfather Part III<...

collective bargaining
Process whereby management, representing an employer, and a trade union, representing employees, agree to negotiate jointly terms and conditions of employment. Agreements can be company-based or industry-wide

conciliation
Process of helping the parties in a dispute to reach a mutually-acceptable agreement (one acceptable to both side). In industrial relations, it is where the two sides in a dispute seek to resolve it with the help of a third, disinterested (uninvolved) party. ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service) provides a conciliation serv...

contracting out
(employment) In industrial relations, an agreement between an employer and employee in Britain whereby the employee does not participate in a financial contributory scheme administered by the employer. This usually applies to pension and health insurance schemes, or payment of trade union or o...

contract of employment
The legal basis of an agreement between an employer and an employee

colon
(punctuation) Punctuation mark (:) used to indicate that an explanation follows, a list or lengthy quotation follows, or a sub-title follows. It is used in mathematics to separate ratios and time references

cosmic radiation
Streams of high-energy particles and electromagnetic radiation from outer space, consisting of electrons, protons, alpha particles, light nuclei, and gamma rays, which collide with atomic nuclei in the Earth's atmosphere and produce secondary nuclear particles (chiefly mesons, such as pions and muons) that shower the Earth. Space shuttles c...

Commonwealth Immigration Acts
Successive acts to regulate the entry into the UK of British subjects from the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth Immigration Act, passed by the Conservative government in 1962, ruled that Commonwealth immigrants entering Britain must have employment or be able to offer required skills. Further restrictions have been added since

Cold War
Ideological, political, and economic tensions from 1945 to 1989 between the USSR and Eastern Europe on the one hand and the USA and Western Europe on the other. The Cold War was fuelled by propaganda, undercover activity by intelligence agencies, and economic sanctions; and was intensified by sig...

cornea
Transparent front section of the vertebrate eye. The cornea is curved and behaves as a fixed lens, so that light entering the eye is partly focused before it reaches the lens. There are no blood vessels in the cornea and it relies on the fluid in the front chamber of the eye for nourishment. Further protection for the eye is provided by the conjunc...

corpus luteum
Glandular tissue formed in the mammalian ovary after ovulation from the Graafian follicle, a group of cells associated with bringing the egg to maturity. It secretes the hormone progesterone in anticipation of pregnancy. After the release of an egg the follicle enlarges under the action of luteinizing hormone, released from the pituitary. The corpu...

cortex
In biology, the outer part of a structure such as the brain, kidney, or adrenal gland. In botany the cortex includes nonspecialized cells lying just beneath the surface cells of the root and stem

Concord
Town in Middlesex County, eastern Massachusetts, USA, 29 km/18 mi northwest of Boston; population (2000 est) 17,000. Although electronic equipment, metal products, and leather goods are manufactured here, it is mainly a residential suburb of Boston. Concord was incorporated in 1635, when the early settlers were English. Concord was the site...

concave mirror
Curved mirror that reflects light from its inner surface, the curve being inward. It may be either circular or parabolic in section. A concave mirror converges parallel light rays inward to the point of principal focus. The image formed by a concave mirror is real (reduced and inverted) if the object...

conduction, electrical
Flow of charged particles through a material giving rise to electric current. Conduction in metals involves the flow of negatively charged free electrons. Conduction in gases and some liquids involves the flow of ions that carry positive charges in one direction and negative charges in the other. Conduction in a semiconductor such as silicon involv...

conduction, heat
Flow of heat energy (see energy transfer) through a material without the movement of any part of the material itself (compare conduction, electrical). Heat energy is present in all materials in the form of the kinetic energy of their constituent vibrating particles, and may be conducted from one particle to the next in the form of this vibration. D...

conventional current
Direction in which an electric current is considered to flow in a circuit. By convention, the direction is that in which positive-charge carriers would flow – from the positive terminal of a cell to its negative terminal. It is opposite in direction to the flow of electrons. In circuit diagrams, the arrows shown on symbols for components s...

convex mirror
Curved mirror that reflects light from its outer surface, the curve being outward. Rays of light are caused to diverge outward on reflection. It forms a reduced, upright, virtual image. Convex mirrors give a wide field of view and are therefore particularly suitable for car wing mirrors and surveillance purposes in shops

collision theory
Theory that explains how chemical reactions take place and why rates of reaction alter. For a reaction to occur the reactant particles must collide. Only a certain fraction of the total collisions cause chemical change; these are called successful collisions. The successful collisions have suffic...

condenser
(chemistry) Laboratory apparatus used to condense vapours back to liquid so that the liquid can be recovered. It is used in distillation and in reactions where the liquid mixture can be kept boiling without the loss of solvent

copper(II) sulphate
Substance usually found as a blue, crystalline, hydrated salt CuSO4.5H2O (also called blue vitriol). It is made from the action of dilute sulphuric acid on copper(II) oxide, hydroxide, or carbonate. CuO + H2SO4 + 4H2O ® Cu...

convex lens
Click images to enlargeLens that possesses at least one surface that curves outwards. It causes light to deviate inward, bringing the rays of light to a focus, and is thus called a converging lens. A convex lens is thicker at its centre than at its edges, and is used to correct long-sightedness (hypermetropism). The d...

concave lens
Click images to enlargeLens that possesses at least one surface that curves inwards. It is a diverging lens, spreading out those light rays that have been refracted through it. A concave lens is thinner at its centre than at its edges, and is used to correct short-sightedness (myopia). After light rays have passed thr...

coevolution
Evolution of those structures and behaviours within a species that can best be understood in relation to another species. For example, some insects and flowering plants have evolved together: insects have produced mouthparts suitable for collecting pollen or drinking nectar, and plants have developed chemicals and flowers that will attract inse...

colonization
In ecology, the spread of species into a new habitat, such as a freshly cleared field, a new motorway verge, or a recently flooded valley. The first species to move in are called pioneers, and may establish conditions that allow other animals and plants to move in (for example, by improving the condition of the soil or by providing shade). Over tim...

coccolithophorid
Microscopic, planktonic marine alga, which secretes a calcite shell. The shells (coccoliths) of coccolithophores are a major component of deep sea ooze. Coccolithophores were particularly abundant during the late Cretaceous period and their remains form the northern European chalk deposits, such as the white cliffs of Dover

collective responsibility
Doctrine found in governments modelled on the British system of cabinet government. It is based on convention, or usage, rather than law, and requires that once a decision has been taken by the cabinet, all members of the government are bound by it and must support it or resign their posts

confidence vote
In politics, a test of support for the government in the legislature. In political systems modelled on that of the UK, the survival of a government depends on assembly support. The opposition may move a vote of `no confidence`; if the vote is carried, it requires the government, by convention, to resign. In Germany, a `constructi...

constitutional law
That part of the law relating to the constitution. It sets out the rules defining the powers, limits, and rights of government. In countries without a written constitution, such as the United Kingdom, constitutional law is a mixture of legislation, judicial precedent, and accepted conventional behaviour. Agencies that maintain constitutional law in...

council tax
Method of raising revenue (income) for local government in Britain. It replaced the community charge, or poll tax, from April 1993. The tax is based on property values at April 1991, but takes some account of the number of people occupying each property. It is levied by local authorities on the value of dwellings in their area. Each dwelling is val...

collectivism
In politics, a position in which the collective (such as the state) has priority over its individual members. It is the opposite of individualism, which is itself a variant of anarchy. Collectivism, in a pure form impossible to attain, would transfer all social and economic activities to the state, which would assume total responsibility for them. ...

coccus
Member of a group of globular bacteria, some of which are harmful to humans. The cocci contain the subgroups streptococci, where the bacteria associate in straight chains, and staphylococci, where the bacteria associate in branched chains

convertible loan stock
Stock or bond (paying a fixed interest) that may be converted into a stated number of shares at a specific date

computerized axial tomography
Medical technique, usually known as CAT scan, for noninvasive investigation of disease or injury

cold fusion
In nuclear physics, the supposed fusion of atomic nuclei at room temperature. If cold fusion were possible it would provide a limitless, cheap, and pollution-free source of energy, and it has therefore been the subject of research around the world. Few physicists believe it is possible. In 1989 Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons of the Univers...

Community law
Law of the member states of the European Union, as adopted by the Council of Ministers. The European Court of Justice interprets and applies EU law. Community law forms part of the law of states and prevails over national law. In the UK, community law became effective after enactment of the European Communities Act 1972

coelenterate
Any freshwater or marine organism of the phylum Coelenterata, having a body wall composed of two layers of cells. They also possess stinging cells. Examples are jellyfish, hydra, and coral

conspiracy
In law, an agreement between two or more people to do something unlawful

confession
(law) In law, a criminal's admission of guilt. Since false confessions may be elicited by intimidation or ill treatment of the accused, the validity of confession in a court of law varies from one legal system to another. For example, in England and Wales a confession, without confirmatory...

convex
Of a surface, curving outwards, or towards the eye. For example, the outer surface of a ball appears convex. In geometry, the term is used to describe any polygon possessing no interior angle greater than 180°. Convex is the opposite of concave

concave
Of a surface, curving inwards, or away from the eye. For example, a bowl appears concave when viewed from above. In geometry, a concave polygon is one that has an interior angle greater than 180°. Concave is the opposite of convex

computer-aided design
Use of computers to create and modify design drawings; see CAD

computer-aided manufacturing
Use of computers to regulate production processes in industry; see CAM

compiler
Computer program that translates programs written in a high-level language into machine code (the form in which they can be run by the computer). The compiler translates each high-level instruction into several machine-code instructions – in a process called compilation – and pr...

control unit
Component of the central processing unit (CPU) that decodes, synchronizes, and executes program instructions

coal mining
Click images to enlargeExtraction of coal from the Earth's crust. Coal mines may be opencast, adit, or deepcast. The least expensive is opencast but this may result in scars on the landscape

correlation
Degree of relationship between two sets of information. If one set of data increases at the same time as the other, the relationship is said to be positive or direct. If one set of data increases as the other decreases, the relationship is negative or inverse. If there is no relationship between the ...

counter-urbanization
The movement of people and places of employment from large cities to places outside the cities – these may be small towns, villages, or rural areas. Inner cities lose population as a result. In most areas, the movement is to small towns rather than to truly rural areas

condensation
(earth science) Conversion of a vapour to a liquid. This is frequently achieved by letting the vapour come into contact with a cold surface. It is the process by which water vapour turns into fine water droplets to form a cloud. Condensation in the atmosphere occurs when the air becomes comple...

convection current
Current caused by the expansion of a liquid, solid, or gas as its temperature rises. The expanded material, being less dense, rises, while colder, denser material sinks. Material of neutral buoyancy moves laterally. Convection currents arise in the atmosphere above warm land masses or seas, giving rise to sea breezes and land breezes, respectively....

cooperative farming
System in which individual farmers pool their resources (excluding land) to buy commodities such as seeds and fertilizers, and services such as marketing. It is a system of farming found throughout the world and is particularly widespread in Denmark and the ex-Soviet republics. In a collective farm, land is also held in common

coastal protection
Click images to enlargeMeasures taken to prevent coastal erosion. Many stretches of coastline are so severely affected by erosion that beaches are swept away, threatening the livelihood of seaside resorts, and buildings become unsafe. To reduce erosion, several different forms of coastal protection are used. Structures su...

combe
Steep-sided valley found on the scarp slope of a chalk escarpment. The inclusion of `combe` in a placename usually indicates that the underlying rock is chalk

composite volcano
Steep-sided conical volcano formed above a subduction zone at a destructive plate margin. It is made up of alternate layers of ash and lava. The magma (molten rock) associated with composite volcanoes is very thick and often clogs up the vent. This can cause a tremendous build-up of pressure,...

confluence
Point at which two rivers join, for example the River Thames and River Cherwell at Oxford, England, or the White Nile and Blue Nile at Omdurman, Sudan

Coriolis effect
Effect of the Earth's rotation on the atmosphere, oceans, and theoretically all objects moving over the Earth's surface. In the northern hemisphere it causes moving objects and currents to be deflected to the right; in the southern hemisphere it causes deflection to the left. The effect i...

corrasion
Grinding away of solid rock surfaces by particles carried by water, ice, and wind. It is generally held to be the most significant form of erosion in rivers. As the eroding particles are carried along they are eroded themselves (becoming rounder and smaller) due to the process of attrition

corrosion
In earth science, an alternative name for solution, the process by which water dissolves rocks such as limestone

coke
Clean, light fuel produced, along with town gas, when coal is strongly heated in an airtight oven. Coke contains 90% carbon and makes a useful domestic and industrial fuel (used, for example, in the iron and steel industries). The coke-making process was patented in England in 1622, but it was only in 1709 that Abraham Darby devised a comme...

computer program
Coded instructions for a computer; see program

Commonwealth of Independent States
Successor body to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, initially formed as a new commonwealth of Slav republics on 8 December 1991 by the presidents of the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Ukraine. On 21 December, eight of the nine remaining non-Slav republics – Moldova, Tajikistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz...

column
(mathematics) Vertical list of numbers or terms, especially in matrices

common denominator
Denominator that is a common multiple of, and hence exactly divisible by, all the denominators of a set of fractions, and which therefore enables their sums or differences to be found. For example, 2/3 and 3/4 can both be converted to equivalent fractions of denominator 12, 2/3 being equal to 8/12 and 3/4 to 9/12. Hence thei...

common factor
Number that will divide two or more others without leaving a remainder. For example, the factors of 8 are 1, 2, 4, and 8; the factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12; and the factors of 16 are 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16. The numbers 2 and 4 are factors of all three numbers (8, 12, and 16) and are known as the common factors; 4 is known as the hig...

conical
Having the shape of a cone

construction
In geometry, an addition to a figure, which is drawn to help solve a problem or produce a proof. The term is also applied to the accurate drawing of shapes

continuous data
In mathematics, data that can take any of an infinite number of values between whole numbers and so may not be measured completely accurately. This type of data contrasts with discrete data, in which the variable can only take one of a finite set of values. For example, the sizes of apples on a tree form continuous data, whereas the numbers of appl...

conversion graph
Graph for changing values from one unit to another, for example from Celsius to Fahrenheit

cosine rule
In trigonometry, a rule that relates the sides and angles of triangles. The rule has the formula: a2 = b2 + c2 - 2bc cos A...

continental shelf
Submerged edge of a continent, a gently sloping plain that extends into the ocean. It typically has a gradient of less than 1°. When the angle of the sea bed increases to 1°-5° (usually several hundred kilometres away from land), it becomes known as the continental slope

Costa Brava
Mediterranean coastline of northeast Spain, stretching from Port-Bou on the French border southwards to Blanes, northeast of Barcelona. It is noted for its irregular rocky coastline, small fishing villages, and resorts such as Puerto de la Selva, Palafrugell, Playa de Aro, and Lloret del Mar

Costa del Sol
Mediterranean coastline of Andalusia, southern Spain, stretching for nearly 300 km/190 mi from Gibraltar to Almería. Málaga is the principal port and Marbella, Torremolinos, and Nerja are the chief tourist resorts

Costner, Kevin
US film actor, director, and producer. He emerged as a star in the late 1980s, and is best known as director, star, and co-producer of Dances with Wolves (1990), a Western sympathetic to the American Indians, that won seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Director) in 1991. His breakthrough role was in the Wes...

Corbusier, Le
French architect; see Le Corbusier

courgette
Small variety of marrow, belonging to the gourd family. It is cultivated as a vegetable and harvested before it is fully mature, at 15–20 cm/6–8 in. (Cucurbita pepo, family Cucurbitaceae.)

Common Agricultural Policy
System of financial support for farmers in European Union (EU) countries, a central aspect of which is the guarantee of minimum prices for part of what they produce. The objectives of the CAP were outlined in the Treaties of Rome (1957): to increase agricultural productivity, to provide a fair standard of living for farmers and their employees,...

conditions of service
Regulations which set out the rights and obligations of the employee. They are issued by employers and have to be accepted by employees. Conditions of service, for example, may lay down the rate of pay, how often the worker will be paid, and holiday entitlement, as well as the hours of work, dress that is expected, and a requirement for punctuality...

conglomerate
(business) A business enterprise comprising subsidiaries operating in non-related markets. A conglomerate merger is a merger between two companies which produce unrelated products

consumer
Person who purchases goods and services. Consumers demand goods which businesses provide, and they need to be protected by law from unfair traders; hence the need for consumer protection acts and the work of consumer bodies such as the Consumers' Association

Consumer Credit Act 1974
Act of the UK Parliament that regulates the giving of credit by companies. Under the act, any company wishing to offer credit to consumers has to obtain a licence. The annual percentage rate (APR) on a loan has to be stated on any advertisement for credit or on contracts. Consumers signing a credit contract at home have the right to change their mi...

contracting out
(business) In business, putting out to tender the provision of goods or services. During the 1980s, the British government encouraged and then forced various parts of government to contract out the provision of services such as refuse collection and street cleaning. Instead of government worke...

cooperative
Business organization with limited liability where each shareholder has only one vote however many shares they own. In a worker cooperative, the workers are the shareholders, own the company, and decide how it is run. In a consumer cooperative, consumers control the company

condenser
(electronics) In electronic circuits, a former name for a capacitor

colloquialism
Informal word or phrase appropriate to familiar, everyday conversation. Colloquialisms are more acceptable than slang in a wider social context

complement
(language) In grammar, a word or phrase that follows the verb and tells us about the subject (`John was an accountant`, `Jane appeared bored`). Noun and adjective complements follow intransitive verbs such as `to be`, `to...

consonant
Sound produced by stopping the air flowing freely through the mouth; a letter representing a sound thus defined (b c d f g h j k l m n p q r s t v w x y z). See also vowel. Consonants can be described in various ways, according to where and how the sound is made and whether the vocal cords in the throat vibrate or not. Where the sound is made A...

Coptic art
The art of the indigenous Christian community of 5th–8th-century Egypt. Flat and colourful in style, with strong outlines and stylized forms, it shows the influence of Byzantine, late Roman, and ancient Egyptian art. Wall paintings, textiles, stone and ivory carvings, and manuscript illuminations remain, the most noted examples of which ar...

communication
(language) The sending and receiving of messages. The messages can be verbal or nonverbal; verbal messages can be transmitted by written communication or by speaking, as well as by a variety of telecommunications. Most nonverbal messages between human beings are in the form of body languag...

complex sentence
Sentence containing a main clause and at least one subordinate clause