Download Vocabulary #3

EARTH SCIENCE - Vocabulary #3
1. Asthenosphere: plastic-like layer of Earth on which the lithosphere plates
move
2. Convection Current: cycle of heating, rising, cooling and sinking
3. Lithosphere: rigid layer of Earth made of the crust and upper mantle that
move on the asthenosphere.
4. Plate: large section of Earth’s crust layer and upper mantle layer that moves
around on the asthenosphere
5. Plate tectonics: theory that Earth’s crust and upper mantle are broken into
plates that move around on a plastic-like layer of the mantle.
Vocabulary – Week of September 19th. Quiz on Friday, September 23
Earthquake:
a sudden release of energy in the earth's crust or upper mantle, usually caused by movement
along a fault plane or by volcanic activity.
Epicenter: A point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the place where the
underground forces of an earthquake originate.
Focus – is the point of an earthquake where the rocks start to fracture. It is the
origin of the earthquake.
Seismometer: An instrument that measures motions of the ground, including those of
seismic waves generated by earthquakes.
Triangulation: A method to determine exactly where an earthquake originates.
VOCABULARY – WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 26TH
Metamorphosis: the change that occurs when rocks under the earth's surface are subjected to intense
heat and pressure.
Igneous Rock: Rock formed from the cooling and hardening of magma.
Erosion: The process by which soil and small pieces of rock are carried away from their original locations
by wind, water, ice, or living organisms.
Sediment: Loose pieces of minerals and rocks.
Weathering: The process by which rocks are worn down by wind and water, creating sediment.
Deposition is the process in which sediments are added to a landform or land mass.
Vocabulary (8.E.4) Week beginning October 24
constellation
group of stars that form a pattern
nebula
a huge cloud of dust and gas between the stars
galaxy
huge collection of stars
spiral galaxy
a galaxy that is shaped like a pinwheel; one of three types of galaxies
elliptical galaxy
a gallaxy that can change shape from spherical to flat; one of three galaxy types
Moon Phases
Vocabulary
Definition
Waxing
When the moon looks larger each
night.
Waning
When the moon looks smaller each
night
Crescent
Part way between a half moon and a
new moon, or between a new moon
and a half moon.
Gibbous
"Part way between a full moon and a
half moon, or between a half moon
and a full moon."
Full Moon
Appears as an entire circle in the sky
New Moon
When the moon is not visible from
Earth, because the side of the moon
that is facing us is not being lit by the
sun.
1st Quarter
Looks like half a circle with the right
side lit by the sun; like the letter D.
3rd Quarter
Looks like half a circle with the left
side lit by the sun; like a backwards D.
Waxing Crescent
Crescent moon between the new
moon and first quarter
Waxing Gibbous
Gibbous moon between the first
quarter and full moon
Vocabulary- January 17, 2017 [QUIZ ON JANUARY 20]
1.
Acceleration – the rate at which an object’s velocity changes
over time.
2.
Balanced forces – forces that cancel out each other because
they are equal in strength and opposite in direction
3.
Inertia- tendency of a still object or moving object to resist a
change in its motion
4.
Motion- change in position
5.
Net Force- force that results from the combination of all the
forces that act on an object
6.
Newton’s First Law of Motion- an object at rest will remain at
rest and an object in motion will continue in motion at the
same speed in a straight line unless a net force acts on it.
7.
Newton’s Second Law of Motion- an object acted on by a net
force will accelerate in the direction of the force. The object’s
acceleration equals the net force on the object divided by the
object’s mass.
8.
Newton’s Third Law of Motion- for every action force exerted
on an object, the object will exert an equal and opposite
reaction force.
9.
Speed- the rate at which the position of an object changes
within a particular time.
10.
Unbalanced Forces- forces that do not cancel each other out;
and result in a net force on an object.
Waves Vocabulary – Week of February 13
Crest
The highest point on a transverse wave
Trough
The lowest point of a transverse wave
Compressions
The parts of a longitudinal wave that are closest together
Rarefactions
The parts of a longitudinal wave that are spread apart
Amplitude
The maximum distance from the rest position that the medium moves in a wave
Wavelength
The distance between two similar parts of a wave
Interference
When one wave hits another wave, their amplitudes combine and make a new
wave
Wave
A disturbance that transfers energy from place to place
Vibration
A repeated back and forth or up and down motion that gives energy to a wave.
Also called "oscillation"
Medium
The material a mechanical wave moves through
Transverse wave
A type of wave where the medium moves perpendicular (vertical) to the direction
the energy is moving.
Longitudinal wave
A type of wave where the medium moves parallel (horizontal) to the direction the
energy is moving. Sound is this type of wave.
Diffraction
When waves spread out to fill the space through which they are moving
Refraction
When a wave changes direction because it goes into a new medium
Polarization
The specific direction that a transverse wave is vibrating
Electromagnetic waves
A transverse wave of pure energy that can go through both a medium and an
empty space (vacuum). Light is this kind of wave.
Vacuum
Totally empty space (no medium). Sound cannot travel through this
Frequency
How many waves are created every second. Measured in Hertz (Hz)
Mechanical Wave
a disturbance in matter that carries energy from one place to another
Seismic Waves
vibrations that travel through Earth carrying the energy released during an
earthquake
Surface Waves
A type of seismic wave that forms when P waves and S waves reach the Earth's
surface
Energy
Capacity/ability to do work
Light Waves
Rays that come from a light source. (Ex: visible light-ROYGBIV)
Sound Waves
Successive pressure variations in the air that vary in amplitude and wavelength.