Download Essential Science Vocabulary

Essential Science Vocabulary
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Hypothesis- a prediction based upon prior knowledge
Scientific Method – step-by-step procedure of scientific problem solving
Observation – bits of information gathered with the senses
Inference – conclusion drawn from an observation
Control – standard used for comparison during an experiment
Constant – factor that stays the same through all phases of the experiment
Independent Variable – single factor in an experiment that changes
Dependent Variable – factor that will be measured in an experiment
Volume – the amount of space an object takes up
Weight – force of gravity on an object
Mass- amount of matter in an object
Density- amount of mass in a given space; density = mass/volume
Force- push or pull on an object
Balanced Force- forces acting on an object are equal, so the object does not move
Unbalanced Force – unequal forces that do not cancel when acting on an object and cause a change in the
objects motion
Gravity- the forces that pulls objects toward each other
Motion- movement or change in position over time
Projectile Motion – the motion of an object that is thrown
Speed- how fast an object is moving; speed = distance/time
Acceleration- change in speed or direction; acceleration = force/mass
Friction- force between 2 surfaces rubbing one another, slows down object and creates heat
Energy Transfer- changing from one form of energy to another form
Potential energy- energy stored in objects
Kinetic energy- energy produced by motion
Chemical Energy – energy stored in chemical bonds
Electrical Energy – energy carried by electric current
Mechanical Energy – energy associated with motion or position
Nuclear Energy – energy stored in the nucleus of an atom
Radiant Energy – energy carried by light
Thermal Energy – energy that increases as an object’s temperature increases
Sound Energy – energy associated with an object’s vibrations
Newton’s 1st law of Motion- objects at rest remain at rest and objects in motion remain in motion unless
acted upon by an unbalanced force.
Inertia- the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion
Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion- when a force acts on an object the object will move in the direction of the
force (force = mass X acceleration)
Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion- every action has an equal and opposite reaction
Conduction- transfer of heat by molecules bumping into one another
Convection- transfer of energy through the flow of material; heating, rising and cooling, sinking of
material
Radiation- transfer of energy through waves/space
Climate- an area’s averaged weather conditions over time
Evaporation- when a liquid turns to a gas
Condensation- when a gas turns to a liquid
Precipitation- water falling from clouds
Sublimation – when a solid changes directly into a gas
Atmosphere- layer of air surrounding Earth
Troposphere – layer of Earth’s atmosphere closest to the ground
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Thermosphere – thickest and hottest layer of the atmosphere
Mesosphere – coldest layer of the atmosphere in which meteors burn up
Stratosphere – layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer
Ozone Layer – layer in the stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation
Core – center of the Earth; consists mostly of iron
Mantle – layer of hot, solid material between Earth’s crust and core
Crust – layer of rock that forms Earth’s outer surface
Lithospheric Plates – pieces of the lithosphere that move very slowly due to the
motion of the mantle
Asthenosphere- plastic-like lower mantle of Earth
Lithosphere- crust and upper part of the mantle that is broken into plates
Plate Tectonics- theory that Earth’s crust and upper mantle are broken into plates that move on the
asthenosphere
Constructive forces- forces such as crustal deformation, faulting, volcanic eruptions and deposition of
sediment that creates landforms
Destructive forces- forces such as weathering and erosion that breakdown landforms
Sea-floor Spreading – process by which molten material adds new oceanic crust to the ocean floor
Subduction – process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep ocean trench and back into the mantle
Continental Drift – hypothesis that the continents slowly move across Earth’s surface
Convection Current – movement of fluid, caused by differences in temperature, that transfers heat from
one part of the fluid to another
Convergent Boundary – plate boundary where two plates move toward each other
Divergent Boundary – plate boundary where two plates move away from each other
Transform Boundary – plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions
Weathering- breaking down of rock by nature
Erosion- movement of rock and soil caused by water, wind, gravity and ice
Fossil- hardened remains of organisms that give clues to Earth’s past
Crustal Deformation- bending and tilting of Earth’s crust
Faulting- breaking of rock formations
Deposition of Sediment- settling of sediments moved by erosion
Rock Cycle – series of processes in which rock changes from one type to another
Igneous Rock – rock formed from cooled and hardened magma or lava
Sedimentary Rock – rock formed from hardened deposits of sediment; may contain fossils
Metamorphic Rock – rock formed from intense heat and pressure
Magma – hot, melted rock beneath the Earth’s surface
Lava – molten rock that flows from a volcano onto Earth’s surface
Seismic Waves – vibrations that travel through Earth carrying energy released during an earthquake
S Wave – seismic wave that moves the ground up and down or side to side
P wave – seismic wave that compresses and expands the ground
Moon Phases – repeating pattern of the different moon shapes you see due to the moon’s movement
around the Earth
Waxing – to increase in phase or size
Waning – to decrease in phase or size
Crescent - the moon at any stage when less than half of the illuminated hemisphere is visible
Gibbous – the moon at any stage when more than half but not all of the apparent disk is illuminated
Rotation- spinning of Earth on its axis; takes 24 hours
Revolution- the Earth moving around the sun; takes 1 year
Solar Eclipse- blocking of sunlight to Earth that occurs when the moon is between the sun and Earth
Lunar Eclipse- blocking of sunlight to the moon that occurs when Earth is directly between the sun and
moon
Asteroid- rocky objects in space
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Comet- large body of ice and rock that travels around the sun
Tides- rise and fall of sea level due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon
Spring Tide – tide with the greatest difference between high and low tides
Neap Tide – tide with the least difference between high and low tides
Matter- anything that has mass and takes up space
Solid – matter with a definite shape and definite volume: has tightly packed particles that move by
vibrating
Liquid – matter with a definite volume but no definite shape that can flow from one place to another
Gas – matter that does not have a definite shape or volume; has particles that move at high speeds in all
directions
Atom- smallest particle of an element; building block of matter
Atomic Number – number of protons in the nucleus of an atom
Atomic Mass – average mass of one atom of an element
Nucleus- positively charged center of an atom that contains the protons and neutrons
Proton- positively charged part of an atom
Neutron- neutral part of an atom
Electron- negatively charged part of an atom
Law of Conservation of Mass- total mass is the same before and after a physical or chemical change
Element- substance made from one type of atom
Compound- atoms of more than one type of element chemically combined
Molecule- two or more atoms held together by an attractive force
Mixture- two or more substances not chemically combined
Heterogeneous Mixture – mixture where the substances are not evenly mixed
Homogeneous Mixture – mixture where two or more substances are evenly mixed
Physical Property- characteristic you can see without changing the composition of a substance
Chemical property- characteristic that can only be seen by altering the substance
Physical change- form or appearance changes, but not the composition
Chemical change- substance is changed into a different substance by a chemical reaction
Melting Point – temperature at which a substance changes from a solid to a liquid
Boiling Point – temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a gas
Solubility- amount of substance that will dissolve in an amount of another substance at a given
temperature
Acid – substance that has a pH below 7
Base – substance that has a pH above 7
Heredity- passing of characteristics from parents to offspring
Homozygous – describes an organism with two alleles that are the same for a trait
Heterozygous – describes an organism with two different alleles for a trait
Phenotype – outward physical appearance and behavior of an organism
Genotype – the genetic makeup of an organism
Dominant – describes a trait that dominates another form of that trait
Recessive – describes a trait that is dominated by another trait and seems to disappear
Chromosome- structure in the nucleus of a cell that contains hereditary material
DNA- code store in the hereditary material that contains information about growth and function of the
organism
Genes- section of DNA found on a chromosome
Learned Trait- trait received from someone else
Innate behavior (Instinct)- response present from birth
Inherited Trait – trait passed from parent to offspring
Mitosis- process of cell division where the nucleus divides and new cells are formed
Meiosis – reproductive process that produces four sex cells
Sexual Reproduction- when two sex cells come together to create a new organism.
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Asexual reproduction- a new organism is produced by one parent; both the parent and offspring will be
identical
Behavior- ways an organism interacts with other organisms and its environment
Stimulus- anything that causes a response
Cell- basic unit of life
Tissue- group of similar cells doing same sort of work
Organ- different types of tissue working together
Organ System- a group of organs working together to do a job
Organism- any living thing
Eukaryotic cell- cell with membrane bound organelles
Prokaryotic cell- cell without membrane bound organelles
Adaptation – any structural or behavioral change that helps an organism survive in its particular
environment
Abiotic factor- nonliving physical features of an environment including water, air, and temperature
Biotic factor- features of an environment that are alive or once alive
Species- group of similar organisms that can mate and reproduce
Population- all animals of a species that live together in a particular place
Community – all the different populations that live together in an area
Ecosystem- all populations living together and the abiotic factors that affect them
Habitat – place where an organism lives; contains food, water and shelter
Niche – role of an organism in an ecosystem
Carrying Capacity – largest population that an area can support
Food Chain- flow of energy from one organism to another in a community
Food Web – a series of overlapping food chains
Extinction- disappearance of a species
Herbivore – organism that eats only plants
Omnivore – organism that eats both plants and animals
Carnivore – organism that eats animals
Predator – organism that hunts for food
Prey – organism that is hunted as food
Producer – organism that makes its own food using energy from the sun
Consumer – organism that gets its food from other organisms or plants
Decomposer – organism that breaks down and gets its food from dead organic matter
Scavenger – carnivore that feeds on the body of dead organisms