The phrase "a small component in" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is a minor part of a larger whole or system.
Example: "The new software update is just a small component in the overall strategy to improve user experience."
Alternatives: "a minor part of" or "a little element in".
Senior sources said the HSBC case was just a small component in a host of problems in online banking.
In addition, because the spline represents only a small component in the full equation, the storage costs are small.
Though a magazine cover is only a small component in the marketing of the film, Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of Miramax Films, said it was nonetheless important.
In this case, almost all the light enters the lower arm of the interferometer, but due to the small component of vertical polarization of the input state, there will be a small component in the upper arm.
The core, which weighs roughly 10 times as much as Earth, is a small component in a planet that weighs 318 Earths.
The drink is light and sweet, as its primary ingredient, vermouth (only 18% alcohol), is normally a small component in much rougher-edged drinks like martinis.
It also provides a small component of L in the negative z direction, which balances the angular momentum in the positive z direction that results from the orbital motion of the centre of mass.
On the other hand, addition of phloretin significantly reduced by 20% (P<0.05) both basal- and leptin-stimulated fructose transport (fig. 1, C) consistent with the involvement of a small component of GLUT2 in fructose transport [3].
Those living in the developed West will be relatively unaffected, as produce in the shops is far removed from the raw commodity - wheat is a fairly small component in the cost of a loaf of bread, for example.
While land is limited, it's only a small component of home value in most places.
This suggests that Diplodocus and Nigersaurus were both primarily browsing on similar foods, although Diplodocus may also have incorporated a small component of hard foods in its diet; such a diet may explain the observed similarity to Brachiosaurus.
