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SCIENCE VOCABULARY
Fourth Grade
SCIENCE INQUIRY
Balance – A tool that measures mass.
Experiment – a test done to see if a hypothesis is correct or not.
Hypothesis – A possible answer to a question that can be tested to see if it is correct.
Inference – An untested conclusion based on your observations.
Microscope – A tool that makes an object look several times bigger than it is.
Observation – Information from your senses.
Scientific method – A way scientists find out how things work and affect each other.
Spring scale – A tool that measures forces, such as weight.
Standard measure – An accepted measurement.
MATTER
Change of state – The change from a solid to a liquid or from a liquid to a gas.
Density – The mass of one unit of volume of a substance.
Gas – The state of matter that does not have a definite shape and does not take up a definite
amount of space.
Heat – The flow of thermal energy from one object to another.
Liquid – The state of matter that takes up the shape of its container and takes up a definite
amount of space.
Mass – The amount of matter in an object.
Physical property - Information about matter that you can observe without changing the
matter.
Solid – The state of matter that has a definite shape and takes up a definite amount of space.
Temperature – A measure of the average energy of motion of particles of matter.
Volume – The amount of space an object takes up.
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ENERGY
Absorption – The taking in of light or sound energy by an object.
Amplitude – A measure of the amount of energy in a wave.
Frequency – A measure of the number of waves that pass in a second.
Intensity – A measure of how loud or soft a sound is.
Pitch – A measure of how high or low a sound is.
Reflection – The bouncing of light, sound, or heat off an object.
Transmission – The passing of light or sound waves through a material.
Vibration – A quick back-and-forth motion.
Wavelength – The distance between a point on one wave and the identical point on the next
wave.
Conduction – The movement of heat between two materials that are touching.
Convection – The movement of heat in liquids and gases from warmer areas to cooler areas.
Energy transfer - A change of energy from one form to another.
Heat – The flow of thermal energy from one object to another.
Light – A form of energy that can travel through space and lies partly within the visible range.
Radiation – The movement of heat without being carried by matter.
Reflection – The bouncing of light, sound or heat off an object.
Refraction – The bending of the path of a wave when it moves from one kind of matter to
another.
Waste heat – Heat that can’t be used to do useful work.
Chemical energy – Energy that can be released by a chemical reaction.
Conductor – Materials that let electric current travel through them easily.
Current electricity – A steady movement of charges through certain materials.
Electromagnet – A temporary magnet caused by an electrical current.
Generator – A device that makes an electric current.
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Geothermal energy – Heat that comes from the inside of the Earth.
Hydroelectric power – Electrical energy made by using a dam and the kinetic energy of falling
water.
Insulator – A material that does not carry current electricity well.
Kinetic energy – Energy of motion.
Magnet – An object that attracts iron and a few other (but not all) metals.
Magnetic field – The space around a magnet where the force of the magnet can act.
Magnetic poles – The parts of a magnet at which its force is strongest.
Mechanical energy – The total potential and kinetic energy of an object.
Electric motor – A device that uses a permanent magnet and an electromagnet to spin a
shaft.
Parallel circuit – A circuit that has more than one path for an electric current to follow.
Potential energy – Energy that an object has because of its position or its condition.
Series circuit – A circuit that has only one path for an electric current to follow.
Solar power – The power of the sun.
Static electricity – An electrical charge that builds up on an object.
FORCE AND MOTION
Acceleration – Any change in the speed or direction of an object’s motion.
Force – A pull or push of any kind.
Friction – A force that resists motion between objects that are in contact.
Gravitation – A force that acts between any two objects and pulls them together.
Gravity – The force of attraction between Earth and other objects.
Inertia – The property of matter that keeps an object at rest or keeps it moving in a straight
line.
Motion – A change of position of an object.
Position – The location of an object.
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Speed – The measure of an object’s change in position during a unit of time.
Velocity – The measure of the speed and direction of motion of an object.
Weight – A measure of the gravitational force acting on an object.
Fulcrum – The fixed point on a lever.
Inclined plane – A simple machine that is a slanted surface.
Lever – A simple machine made of a bar that pivots on a fixed point.
Pulley – A simple machine made of a wheel with a line around it.
Screw – A simple machine made of a post with an inclined plane wrapped around it.
Simple machine – A machine that you apply just one force to.
Wedge – A simple machine made of two inclined planes placed back-to-back.
Wheel-and-axle – A simple machine made of a wheel and an axle that turn together.
Work – That which is done on an object when a force moves an object over a distance.
EARTH
Bedrock – The solid rock that forms Earth’s surface.
Clay – The smallest particles that make up soil.
Erosion – The process of moving sediment from one place to another.
Humus – The remains of decayed plants or animals in the soil.
Igneous rock – A type of rock that forms from melted rock that cools and hardens.
Metamorphic rock – A type of rock that forms when heat or pressure change an existing rock.
Mineral – A solid substance that occurs naturally in rocks or in the ground.
Rock – A solid substance made up of one or more minerals.
Rock cycle – The sequence of processes that change rocks from one type to another over
long periods.
Sand – The largest particles that make up soil.
Sedimentary rock – A type of rock that forms when layers of sediment are pressed together.
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Weathering – The breaking down of rocks on Earth’s surface.
Air mass – A large body of air that has a similar temperature and moisture level.
Anemometer – A weather instrument that measures wind speed.
Barometer – A weather instrument used to measure air pressure.
Cold front – The boundary where a cold air mass moves under a warm air mass.
Condensation – The process by which a gas changes into a liquid.
Evaporation – The process by which a liquid changes into a gas.
Hail – Round pieces of ice formed when frozen rain is coated with water and refreezes.
Hurricane – A large tropical storm that has winds of at least 74 miles per hour.
Land breeze – A breeze that moves from the land to the sea.
Precipitation – Water that falls to Earth.
Rain – Precipitation that is liquid water.
Rain shadow – The area on the side of a mountain range with less rain and cloud cover.
Sea breeze – A breeze that moves from the sea to the land.
Sleet – Precipitation caused when rain falls through freezing air and turns to ice.
Snow – Precipitation caused when water vapor turns directly into ice and forms ice crystals.
Tornado – A fast-spinning spiral of wind that touches the ground.
Warm front – The boundary where a warm air mass moves over a cold air mass.
Water cycle – The movement of water from the surface of Earth into the air and back again.
Conservation – The careful use and protection of natural resources.
Energy resource - A resource that is used to produce electricity, heat, or light.
Fossil fuel - A natural resource that formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived
millions of years ago.
Mineral resource – A natural resource that comes from minerals found on or beneath Earth’s
surface.
Natural resource – A resource that is found in nature and not made by people.
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Nonrenewable resource – A resource, such as a fossil fuel, that can’t be replaced within a
human lifetime.
Preservation – The protection of resources.
Renewable resource – A resource that can be replaced within a human lifetime.
Resource – Any material or energy that people use to satisfy a need.
SPACE
Axis – The imaginary line that the Earth spins around as it rotates.
Comet – A ball of rock, ice, and frozen gas in space.
Constellation – A pattern of stars that form an imaginary picture or design in the sky.
Galaxy – A huge system of many stars, gas, and dust.
Moon – Any natural body that revolves around a planet.
Moon phases – The different shapes that Earth’s moon seems to have.
Orbit – The path Earth takes around the sun.
Planet – A large object that moves around a star.
Solar system – A group of objects in space that revolve around a central star.
Star – A huge ball of superheated gas.
Sun – The star at the center of our solar system.
Universe – Everything that exists in space.
LIFE
Cell – The smallest unit of a living thing.
Cell membrane – The thin covering that controls what enters and leaves a cell.
Cell wall – The stiff outer layer of a plant cell.
Neuron – A cell of the nervous system.
Nucleus – The control center of a cell.
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Organ – A body part made of different kinds of tissues that work together to perform a
particular job.
Red blood cell – A type of cell that carries oxygen to all other cells in the body.
Tissue – A group of cells of the same type that work together to perform a certain job.
White blood cell – A type of cell that helps you heal after an injury end protects you from
illness.
Artery – A blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart.
Bone – A hard organ made of an outer covering tissue and a softer inside tissue.
Capillary – A blood vessel with very thin walls that allows oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass
through.
Diaphragm – The muscle in your body that allows you to inhale and exhale.
Esophagus – A muscular tube that connects your mouth with your stomach.
Joint – A place in the body where two bones meet.
Muscle – An organ that is made of bundles of long muscle fibers and works with bones to
help you move.
Spinal cord – A tube of nerves that runs through your backbone to your brain.
Stomach – A baglike organ in which food is mixed with digestive juices and squeezed by
muscles.
Vein – A blood vessel that carries blood back to the heart from another part of the body.
How living things interact with their ENVIRONMENT
Abiotic – Of the nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
Adaptation – A characteristic of a living thing that helps it survive in its environment.
Basic needs – The things a living thing needs to survive and grow.
Biotic – Of the living parts of an ecosystem.
Community – All the populations of organisms living together in an environment.
Diversity – A great variety of living things.
Ecosystem – A community and its physical environment.
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Environment – All of the living and nonliving things that affect an organism.
Habitat restoration – Returning a natural environment to its original condition.
Pollution – Waste products that damage an ecosystem.
Population – All the individuals of the same kind living in the same environment.
Carnivore – An animal that eats only other animals.
Consumer – A living thing that can’t make its own food and must eat other living things.
Decomposer – A living thing that feeds on the wastes of plants and animals.
Energy pyramid – A diagram showing how much energy is passed from one organism to the
next in a food chain.
Extinction – The death of all the members of a certain kind of organism.
Food chain – A series of organisms that depend on one another for food.
Food web – A group of food chains that overlap.
Fossil – Physical evidence of a plant or animal that lived long ago.
Habitat – An environment that meets the needs of an organism.
Herbivore – An animal that eats only plants, or producers.
Niche – The role of an organism in its habitat.
Omnivore – An animal that eats both plants and other animals.
Predator – A consumer that eats prey.
Prey – Consumers that are eaten by predators.
Producer – A living thing, such as a plant, that can make its own food.
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