Download Kindergarten Vocabulary

4th Grade: Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism Vocabulary
State Assessable Terms:
Heat
The shifting of energy from an object at a higher temperature to an
object at a lower temperature. Added energy causes a rise in temperature.
Electricity A form of energy that can produce light, heat, and magnetism.
Energy
The ability to do work or cause a change in something. Different forms of
energy are: heat, light, sound, electrical, and chemical energy.
Evident
Easily seen or understood
Fahrenheit There are two common scales for thermometers, degrees Fahrenheit (oF), and
degrees Celsius (oC).
Celsius
There are two common scales for thermometers, degrees Fahrenheit (oF), and
degrees Celsius (oC).
Increase
To get larger, gain matter
Decrease
To get smaller, loose matter
Substance Any physical matter or material.
Friction
When electric charge flows from a negative terminal to a positive terminal.
Battery
A combination of two or more electrochemical cells that produce electricity.
Any device that stores electricity.
Wire
A thread or slender rod of metal capable of conducting electricity.
Bulb
Rounded glass containing a wire filament that heats up and emits light when
when an electric current passes through it.
Conductor A material that allows electricity or heat to travel through it easily.
Compass
A magnet that is mounted so it can rotate freely. The compass 'needle'
(magnet) will always point toward magnetic North, unless disrupted by
another magnet.
Magnet
A piece of metal whose atoms are arranged so that they line up with two
magnetic 'poles,' one positive (+) and one negative (-).
Iron filings Small filings(like pepper) from a piece of iron. Often used to show a magnet’s
lines of force.
Attract
To cause to move closer.
Repel
To cause to move further apart.
Generator A device that using magnetism and wire can produce and electric current.
Device
A piece of equipment designed for a specific purpose
Appliance
A device designed for a specific use (refrigerator, stove, etc.)
Electric current
When electric charge flows from a negative terminal to a positive
terminal.
Simple circuit
In electricity a circuit is an unbroken path between a source of
electricity (like a battery), conductive wires, and a resistor (like a light
bulb).
Open circuit
A broken path between a source of electricity (like a battery),
conductive wires, and a resistor (like a light bulb).
Power source
Something that is able to make energy like electricity (batteries or
generators)
Closed circuit
An unbroken path between a source of electricity (like a battery),
conductive wires, and a resistor (like a light bulb).
Energy transfer
The exchange of energy between objects or materials. For example,
when a baseball bat hits a ball, the energy from the batter's swing is
transferred from the bat to the ball.
Magnetic field
The invisible field that carries magnetic force to other objects
Magnetic poles
The 2 parts of a magnet where the lines of force are the strongest,
each having an opposite charge. (North pole and south pole)
Lines of force
Curved lines used to represent a magnetic field, drawn such that the
number of lines is related to the strength of the magnetic field at a
given point .
Temperature
How hot or cold something is, usually measured with a thermometer.
Thermometer
A device used to measure temperature, in "degrees" (o). There are
two common scales for thermometers, degrees Fahrenheit (oF), and
degrees Celsius (oC).
State Assessable Terms:
Conduct
In physics: to allow heat or electricity to pass easily.
Conduction
In physics, conduction is the way that matter allows heat or electricity
to move through it. It is the act of conducting.
Resistance
In physics, resistance is the way that matter prevent heat or electricity
from moving through it. It is the act of resisting.
Electromagnet
A magnet made of a coil of insulated wire wrapped around an iron rod
(like a nail) that is magnetized only when an electrical current flows
through the wire
Three dimensional The opposite of flat. Something that has height, length, and width.
(a ball versus a picture of a ball)
Instruments, Measurements, Representations
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temperature
thermometer
Fahrenheit, Celsius
Students are NOT required to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius of Celsius to Fahrenheit.
They do need to be able to read a thermometer using either Fahrenheit or Celsius.
Students should know benchmark temperatures such as
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freezing (320F, 00C)
room temperature (700F, 210C)
body temperature (98.60F, 370C)
and compare temperatures to these, e.g., cooler, warmer.