Letter C

CALORIE (energy calorie - small "c" - as opposed to food Calorie - capital "C") - Any of several approximately equal values of heat, each measured as the quantity of heat require to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius from a standard initial temperature, esp. from 3.98 degress Celsius. 14.5 degrees Celsius, or 19.5 degrees Celsius, at 1 atmosphere pressure. A calorie is the unit of heat equal to 4.184 joules.

CAPACITOR - A capacitor can store small amounts of electrical charge. It consists of two ELECTRODES with a non-conducting layer in between them. If you think of the capacitor as a small reservoir of electricity that will be released later, you will have a rough idea of how it works.

CARBON DIOXIDE - A colorless, odorless, non-poisonous gas that is a normal part of the air. Carbon dioxide, also called CO2, is exhaled by humans and animals and is absorbed by plants and by the sea.

CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) - A colorless, odorless, highly poisonous gas made up of carbon and oxygen molecules formed by the incomplete combustion of carbon or carbonaceous material, including gasoline. It is a major air pollutant on the basis of weight.

CATHODE - This is the NEGATIVE ELECTRODE in a circuit. It is commonly linked with DIODES in things like television sets. It is the opposite of ANODE.

CELSIUS - A temperature scale based on the freezing (0 degrees) and boiling (100 degrees) points of water. Abbreviated as C in second and subsequent references in text. Formerly known as Centigrade. To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply the number by 9, divide by 5, and add 32. For example:

10 degrees Celsius x 9 = 90; 90 / 5 = 18; 18 + 32 = 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

CFCs (CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS or CHLORINATED FLUOROCARBONS) - A family of artificially produced chemicals receiving much attention for their role in stratospheric ozone depletion. On a per molecule basis, these chemicals are several thousand times more effective as greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide. Since they were introduced in the mid-1930s, CFCs have been used as refrigerants, solvents and in the production of foam material. The 1987 Montreal protocol on CFCs sought to reduce their production by one-half by the year 1998.

CHEMICAL ENERGY - The energy generated when a chemical compound combusts, decomposes or transforms to produce new compounds.

CIRCUIT - One complete run of a set of electric conductors from a power source to various electrical devices (appliances, lights, etc.) and back to the same power source.

CLEAN FUEL VEHICLE - is frequently incorrectly used interchangeably with "alternative fuel vehicle." Generally, refers to vehicles that use low-emission, clean-burning fuels. Public Resources Code Section 25326 defines clean fuels, for purposes of the section only, as fuels designated by ARB for use in LEVs, ULEVs or ZEVs, which include, but are not limited to, electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, liquefied petroleum gas, methanol, natural gas, and reformulated gasoline.

COAL - Black or brown rock, formed under pressure from organic fossils in prehistoric times, that is mined and burned to produce heat energy.

COMBUSTION - Rapid oxidation, with the release of energy in the form of heat and light.

CONDUCTANCE - The quantity of heat, in Btu's, that will flow through one square foot of material in one hour, when there is a 1°F temperature difference between both surfaces. Conductance values are given for a specific thickness of material, not per inch thickness.

CONDUCTION - The transfer of heat energy through a material (solid, liquid or gas) by the motion of adjacent atoms and molecules without gross displacement of the particles.

CONDUCTIVITY (k) - The quantity of heat that will flow through one square foot of homogeneous material, one inch thick, in one hour, when there is a temperature difference of one degree Fahrenheit between its surfaces.

CONVECTION - Transferring heat by moving air, or transferring heat by means of upward motion of particles of liquid or gas heat from beneath.

CONVECTION - Heat transfer by the movement of fluid.

CONVERSION - Device or kit by which a conventional fuel vehicle is changed to an alternative fuel vehicle.

COULOMB (C) - Unit of electric orange. The amount of charge transferred in one second between 2 points in a circuit by a current of lampere. Named for the French physicist Charles Augustin de Coulomb.