Download STEINWAY INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL 141Q A NASA Explorer

STEINWAY INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL 141Q
A NASA Explorer School
MAGNET FOR ADVANCED MATHEMATICS, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Miranda Pavlou, Principal
Lori Adamo, A.P.
Elisa Barresi, A.P. (I.A.) Elaine Maroulis, A.P. Vanessa Williams, A.P.
Discipline of Science
Grade 7
Mid-Term Study Guide 2014
Terms You Should Know:
 Hypothesis: An “educated guess” concerning how or why a phenomenon occurs.
 Independent Variable: A variable that stands alone and isn't changed by the other variables you are trying
to measure (Manipulated Variable).
 Dependent Variable: A variable whose value depends on that of another (Measured Variable).
 Observation: An act or instance of viewing or noting a fact or occurrence.
 Inference: the act or process of deriving logical conclusions from premises known or assumed to be true.
 Experimental Group: The group on which the independent variable is applied.
 Control Group: The group on which the independent variable is not applied, the variable being used to
determine baseline data.
 Lithosphere: The rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
 Biosphere: The regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth occupied by living
organisms.
 Atmosphere: The blanket of gas mixture surrounding the solid earth.
 Hydrosphere: All the waters on the earth's surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including
water over the earth's surface, such as clouds.
 Density: A measure of how much matter is in a certain volume (Density = mass/volume).
 Mass: The amount of matter in an object.
 Volume: The amount of space an object occupies.
 Mineral: A solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence.
 Crystal: A solid where the atoms form a 3 dimensional pattern.
 Streak: The color of the fine powder left behind by a scratched mineral.
 Luster: The way a mineral reflects light from its surface.
 Cleavage: The tendency of a mineral to break along flat surfaces.
 Fracture: The manner in which a mineral breaks along either curved or irregular surfaces.
 Hardness: A measure of the ability of a mineral to resist scratching.
 Mohs Scale: Minerals are assigned a number between 1 & 10 to indicate their hardness.
 Rock: A solid material made up of minerals, fossils, and/or organic material.
 Rock Cycle: A natural process constantly being forming, wearing down, and reforming rock.
 Metamorphic Rock: Rocks formed because of changes to high temperature and/or pressure, and form in
foliated layers.
 Sedimentary Rock: Loose materials such as rock fragments, mineral grains, and organic materials that
have been moved by wind, water, gravity, or ice form rock when sediments are pressed and cemented
together.
 Igneous Rock: Rocks from hardening of molten rock from volcanoes, and are characterized by large intergrown crystals.
 Weathering: The chemical and physical processes that break down rock at Earth's surface.
 Erosion: The process by which water, ice, wind, or gravity moves weathered rock or soil.
Also review:
 Steps of the scientific method
 The rock cycle