Download Water Vocabulary

Water Vocabulary
Solid: a form of matter that has a definite shape and takes up a definite amount of space; atoms
in a solid are close together and don’t move around very much
Liquid: a form of matter that takes up a definite amount of space and has no definite shape--it
takes the shape of its container; atoms in a liquid are closer together than atoms in a gas, but
farther apart that atoms in a solid; the atoms in a liquid move around more than atoms in a
solid, but less than those in a gas
Gas: a form of matter that does not take up a definite amount of space—it expands to take the
volume of its container-- and no definite shape—it takes the shape of its container; the
atoms in a gas are relatively far apart, and they move around a lot
Evaporation: the process of a liquid changing slowly into a gas
Condensation: the process of a gas changing into a liquid
Precipitation: any form of water particles that fall from the atmosphere and reach the ground
Surface Tension: the cohesive force that pulls water molecules together
Capillary Action: the movement of water in a tube due to adhesion of the water to the tube
Current: An ocean movement; a large stream of water that flows in the ocean
Water cycle: The continuous movement of water between Earth’s surface and the air, changing
from liquid to gas to liquid.
Polar Molecule: a molecule that had a positively and negatively charged side
Cohesion: a force of attraction that exists between water molecules
Meniscus: the concave shape (due to surface tension) that forms on the top of water that is
confined in a tube
Adhesion: a force of attraction between water molecules and other polar molecules
Absorb: to take in; a sponge can absorb water, and water can absorb heat
Density: a measure of how tightly packed the matter in an object is
Atom: the smallest unit of an element
Molecule: the smallest unit of a compound;
Compound: a substance composed of two or more elements combined chemically (for example,
water is a compound made from hydrogen and oxygen, but a mixture of gold and silver
shavings would not be a compound, since they are not combined chemically)
States of matter: the physical forms of matter: solid, liquid, gas, plasma
Phase change: a change in the physical property of matter, for example, changing from solid to
liquid
Freezing: the process of a liquid changing to a solid; heat must be removed
Melting: the process of a solid changing to a liquid; heat must be added
Subliming: the process of a solid changing to a gas without first becoming a liquid
Water vapor: water that is in the form of a gas
Water table: The surface of the water in a layer of saturated soil
Ground water: Earth’s underground water supply
Humidity: the measure of the amount of water in the air.
Polarity: the property of having poles; magnets have north and south poles, while molecules
can have polarity due to positive or negative charges (remember, like charges repel,
opposite charges attract.)
Attraction: the force in which particles draw towards each other