Download 5th Gr.By Unit - Rockway Elementary

SCIENCE VOCABULARY
Fifth Grade
SCIENCE INQUIRY
Balance – A tool that measures the amount of matter in an object (the object’s mass.)
Experiment – A procedure carried out under controlled conditions to test a hypothesis.
Inquiry – An organized way to gather information and answer questions.
Investigation – A procedure carried out to gather data about an object or event.
Microscope – A tool that makes small objects appear larger.
Scientific method – A series of steps that scientists use when performing an experiment.
MATTER
Density – The measure of how closely packed matter is in an object.
Gas – The state of matter that does not have a definite shape or volume.
Liquid – The state of matter that has a definite volume but no definite shape.
Mass – The amount of matter in an object.
Matter – Anything that has mass and takes up space.
Mixture – A blending of two types of matter that are not chemically combined.
Solid – The state of matter that has a definite shape and a definite volume.
Solubility – The measure of how much of a material will dissolve in another material.
Solution – A uniform mixture of two or more substances in a single state of matter.
State of matter – One of the three forms (solid, liquid, and gas) that matter can exist in.
Suspension – A kind of mixture in which particles of one ingredient are floating in another
ingredient.
Volume – The amount of space an object takes up.
Atom – The smallest unit of an element that has all the properties of that element.
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Change of state – A physical change that occurs when matter changes from one state to
another, such as from a liquid to a gas.
Chemical change – A reaction or change in a substance, produced by chemical means, that
results in a different substance.
Chemical property – A property that involves how a substance interacts with other
substances.
Chemical reaction – A chemical change.
Compound – A substance made of two or more different elements.
Element – A substance made up of only one atom.
Matter – Anything that has mass and takes up space.
Physical change – A change in matter from one form to another that doesn’t result in a
different substance.
Physical property – A property that involves a substance by itself.
ENERGY
Chemical energy – Energy that can be released by a chemical reaction.
Conduction – The transfer of heat from one object directly to another.
Conservation – The use of less of something to make the supply last longer.
Convection – The transfer of heat through the movement of a gas or a liquid.
Electric energy – Energy that comes from an electric current.
Energy – The ability to cause changes in matter.
Energy transfer – Movement of energy from one place or object to another.
Fossil – The remains or traces of past life, found in sedimentary rock.
Heat – The transfer of thermal energy between objects with different temperatures.
Kinetic energy – The energy of motion.
Light – Radiation that we can see.
Mechanical energy – The combination of all the kinetic and potential energy that something
has.
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Nonrenewable resource – A resource that, once used, cannot be replaced in a reasonable
amount of time.
Pollution – Anything that dirties or harms the environment.
Potential energy – The energy an object has because of its condition or position.
Radiation – The transfer of energy by means of waves that move through matter and space.
Reflection – The bouncing of heat or light off an object.
Renewable resource – A resource that can be replaced within a reasonable amount of time.
Solar energy – Energy that comes from the sun.
System – A group of separate elements that work together to accomplish something.
FORCE AND MOTION
Balanced forces – Forces that act on an object but cancel each other out.
Buoyant force – The upward force exerted on an object by water.
Force – A push or a pull that causes an object to move, stop, or change directions.
Friction – A force that opposes motion.
Fulcrum – The balance point on a lever that supports the arm but does not move.
Gravitational force – The pull of all objects in the universe on one another.
Gravity – The force of attraction between objects.
Inclined plane – A ramp or another sloping surface.
Lever – A bar that makes it easier to move things.
Magnetism – The force produced by a magnet.
Net force – The combination of all the forces acting on an object.
Pulley – A wheel with a rope that lets you change the direction in which you move an object.
Simple machine – A device that makes a task easier by changing the size or direction of a
force or the distance over which the force acts.
Unbalanced forces – Forces that act on an object and don’t cancel each other out;
unbalanced forces cause a change in motion.
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Wheel-and-axle – A wheel with a rod, or axle, in the center.
Work – The use of a force to move an object through a distance.
Acceleration – The rate at which velocity changes.
Frequency – The number of vibrations per second.
Inertia – The property of matter that keeps it at rest or moving in a straight line.
Pitch – A measurement of how high or low a sound is.
Position – The location of an object in space.
Speed – The distance an object travels in a certain amount of time.
Velocity – A measure of an object’s speed in a particular direction.
Vibration – A back-and-forth movement of matter.
Volume – A measurement of how soft or loud a sound is.
EARTH
Deposition – The process in which sediment settles out of water or is dropped by wind.
Erosion – The process of moving sediment by wind, moving water, or ice.
Hardness – A mineral’s ability to resist being scratched.
Igneous rocks – Rocks that form when melted rock cools and hardens.
Luster – The way a mineral’s surface reflects light.
Metamorphic rock – Rocks formed when high heat and great pressure change existing rocks
into a new form.
Mineral – A naturally occurring, nonliving solid that has a specific chemical makeup and a
repeating structure.
Rock – A natural substance made of one or more minerals.
Rock cycle – The continuous process in which one type of rock changes into another type.
Sedimentary rocks – Rocks formed when sediments are cemented together.
Streak – The color of the powder left behind when you rub a mineral against a rough white
tile or a streak plate.
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Weathering – The process of wearing away rocks by natural processes.
Delta – An area of new land at the mouth of a river, formed from sediments carried by the
river.
Earthquake – A movement of the ground, caused by a sudden release of energy in Earth’s
crust.
Epicenter – The point on Earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.
Fault – A break in Earth’s crust.
Glacier – A large, thick sheet of ice.
Landform – A natural land shape or feature.
Lava –. Molten (melted) rock that reaches Earth’s surface.
Magma - Molten (melted) rock beneath Earth’s surface.
Plate – A section of Earth’s crust and mantle that fits together with other sections like puzzle
pieces.
Sand dune – A hill of sand, made and shaped by wind.
Sinkhole – A large hole formed when the roof of a cave collapses.
Topography – All the kinds of landforms in a certain place.
Volcano – A mountain made of lava, ash, or other materials from eruptions that occur at an
opening in Earth’s crust.
Air mass – A large body of air that has the same temperature and humidity throughout.
Air pressure – The weight of the atmosphere pressing down on Earth.
Atmosphere – The blanket of air surrounding Earth.
Climate – The pattern of weather an area experiences over a long period of time.
Condensation – The process of a gas changing into a liquid.
Evaporation – The process of a liquid changing into a gas.
Front – The border where two air masses meet.
Humidity – A measurement of the amount of water vapor in the air.
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Local winds – Movements of air that result from local changes in temperature.
Precipitation – Water that falls from the air to Earth.
Prevailing winds – Global winds that blow constantly from the same direction.
Troposphere – The layer of air closest to Earth’s surface.
Water cycle – The process in which water continuously moves from Earth’s surface into the
atmosphere and back again.
SPACE
Axis – An imaginary line that passes through Earth’s center and its North and South Poles.
Constellation – A pattern of stars, named after a mythological or religious figure, an object, or
an animal.
Crater – A bowl-shaped, low area on the surface of a planet or moon.
Eclipse – An event that occurs when one object in space passes through the shadow of
another object in space.
Equator – An imaginary line around Earth equally distant from the North and South Poles.
Galaxy – A grouping of gas, dust, and many stars, plus any objects that orbit those stars.
Moon – Any natural body that revolves around a planet.
Moon phase – One of the shapes the moon seems to have as it orbits the Earth.
Orbit – The path one body takes in space as it revolves around another body.
Planet – A body that revolves around a star.
Refraction – The bending of light.
Revolve – To travel in a closed path.
Rotate – To spin on an axis.
Solar system – A star and all the planets and other objects that revolve around it.
Star – A huge ball of very hot gases in space.
Sun – The star at the center of our solar system.
Universe – Everything that exists, including such things as stars, planets, gas, dust, and
energy.
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LIFE
Cell – The basic unit of structure and function of living things.
Cell membrane – The thin covering that surrounds every cell.
Circulatory system – The organ system – made up of the heart, blood vessels, and bloodthat transports materials throughout the body.
Cytoplasm – The jellylike material inside a cell between the cell membrane and the nucleus.
Digestive system – The organ system that turns food into nutrients that body cells need for
energy, growth, and repair.
Excretory system – The organ system, including the kidneys and bladder, that removes
waste materials from the blood.
Microscopic – Too small to be seen without using a microscope.
Muscular system – The organ system that includes the muscles and allows the body to move.
Nervous system – The organ system-including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves-that senses
your surroundings and controls other organs.
Nucleus – The part of a cell that directs all of the cells activities.
Organ – A group of tissues that work together to perform a certain function.
Organ system – A group of organs that work together to do a job for the body.
Protist – A single-celled organism with a nucleus and organelles.
Respiratory system – The organ system, including the lungs, that exchanges oxygen and
carbon dioxide between the body and the environment.
Skeletal system – The organ system, including the bones, that protects the body and gives it
structure.
Tissue – A group of cells that work together to perform a certain function.
Chromosome – A threadlike structure in the nucleus, made up of DNA.
Dominant trait – A Trait that appears even if an organism has only one factor for the trait.
Environment – All the living and nonliving things that surround and affect an organism.
Gene – The part of a chromosome that contains the DNA code for an inherited trait.
Inherited trait – A characteristic passed from parents to their offspring.
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Instinct – A behavior that an organism inherits.
Learned behavior – A behavior that an animal acquires through experience.
Life cycle – The stages that a living thing passes through as it grows and changes.
Mitosis – The process by which most cells divide.
Recessive trait – A trait that appears only if an organism has two factors for the trait.
ENVIRONMENT
Carnivore – An animal that eats other animals; also called a second-level consumer.
Chlorophyll – A green pigment that allows a plant to absorb the sun’s light energy.
Consumer – An animal that eats plants, animals, or both.
Decomposer – A consumer that obtains food energy by breaking down the remains of dead
plants and animals.
Ecosystem – A community of organisms and the environment in which they live.
Energy pyramid – A diagram that shows how much food energy is passed from each level in
a food chain to the next.
Food chain – The transfer of food energy between organisms in an ecosystem.
Food web – A diagram that shows the relationships between different food chains in an
ecosystem.
Herbivore – An animal that eats only producers.
Photosynthesis – The process in which plants make food by using water from the soil, carbon
dioxide from the air, and energy from sunlight.
Producer – A living thing, such as a plant, that makes its own food.
Transpiration – The loss of water from a leaf through the stomach.
Acid rain – A mixture of rain and acids that falls to Earth from air pollutions.
Adaptation – A trait or characteristic that helps an organism survive.
Community - A group of populations that live together.
Competition – A kind of contest among populations that need to get a certain amount of food,
water, and shelter to survive.
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Conservation – The practice of saving resources.
Extinction – The death of all the organisms of a species.
Habitat – An area where an organism can find everything it needs to survive.
Pollution – A waste product that damages an ecosystem.
Population – A group of organisms of one kind that live in one location.
Predator – An animal that kills and eats other animals.
Prey – An animal that is eaten by a predator.
Reclamation – The process of cleaning and restoring a damaged ecosystem.
Succession – A gradual change in the kinds of organisms living in an ecosystem.
Symbiosis – A relationship between different kinds of organisms.
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