A concave object has an inward curvature.
Before proceeding to know the meaning of the term concave , it is necessary to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can state that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly from concavus , which can be translated as "excavated in the round." Word that is the result of the sum of two clearly differentiated parts:
-The prefix con- , which means "together."
-The adjective cavus , which is synonymous with "empty" or "hollow."
Concave is an adjective that refers to something that has an inward curvature . It can be said that something concave is similar to the internal sector of a sphere or a circle .
Examples of concave objects
A spoon , for example, is a utensil that has a handle and a concave surface. This concavity makes it useful for eating liquid, soft or very small foods. If a person inserts a spoon into a bowl of soup, the broth will enter the concave sector and thus the subject will be able to drink it comfortably.
A concave mirror , on the other hand, has the reflecting surface curved inward. In this way the light is reflected in such a way that it converges on a focal point. Depending on the distance between the mirror and the object, the reflected image takes on different shapes.
Concave mirrors, therefore, capture the light that falls on the reflective surface and bend the rays towards a point. This type of mirror is used to increase the size of images in devices such as telescopes , to name one example.
Telescopes use concave mirrors.
The term in geometry
In the field of geometry , an angle that measures less than 360º and more than 180º is called a concave angle . These angles can also be called incoming or reflex angles. As for concave polygons , they are figures that have at least one concave interior angle and that, in addition, when crossed by a straight line, are cut in at least three points.
In every concave polygon we can determine that there are several clearly differentiated parts such as these:
-The incoming angle, which is one that is greater than 180º.
-The exterior point, which is the point that is not in what is the polygonal region.
-The interior, which is the set of all the interior points that the polygon in question has.
-The diagonal, which is the segment that is responsible for joining two vertices that are not consecutive.
-The polygonal region, which is the union of the polygon and its interior.
The term concave in literature and music
Within the field of literature, this term has been used on a long list of occasions to give titles to different works. A good example of this is the book “Cóncava mujer” . This is a book of poems written by the Córdoba author Juana Castro .
It should be noted that the concave is complemented by the convex , a term that refers to an outward curvature.
Precisely, the Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández has a song titled "Cóncavo y convexo" . It was published in 2013, is part of his album "Confidences" and revolves around the difficulties of love.