Download Physical Science

Physical Science Vocabulary 2015
5.P.1


























5.P.2
Force and Motion
Position—the location of an object
Distance—the length of a line between two points
Motion— a change in an object’s position
Meter stick—a tool used for measuring length or distance
Direction—the path that a moving object follows (north, south, east, west)
Speed—a measure of how far an object moves in a certain amount of time
Acceleration—the rate at which velocity changes
Deceleration-- Decrease in speed and or velocity
Force—a push or pull
Newton—(N)the unit for force
Mass—the amount of matter that makes up an object
Matter—anything that has mass and takes up space
Gravity—a force that pulls objects towards each other
Friction—a force that acts between surfaces that touch each other
Air resistance—the force of friction that acts between a moving objects and air particles
Contact Force- forces between 2 objects that are touching
Non-Contact Force-- Any force on an object by another object that is not touching it
Newton’s 1st law-- An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends
to stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force
Newton’s 2nd law-- An object’s acceleration depends on the size, direction of the force,
and mass of the object
Newton’s 3rd law-- For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction
Equilibrium-- Equal balance of forces acting on an object
Slope-- Slant or incline
Drag-- the force that makes objects slow down or prevents it from moving
Lift-- the force that lifts an object from the ground
Thrust-- the force that propels or pushes an object forward
Aerodynamics-- the type of dynamics dealing with air and the way it interacts with
moving objects
The Water Cycle
 Energy—the ability to make things move or change
 Water cycle—the movement of water between Earth’s surface (land) and atmosphere
(air)
 Atmosphere—the mixture of gases and dust that surrounds the Earth
 Evaporation—the change from a liquid to a gas (heating)
Physical Science Vocabulary 2015
 Transpiration—the process by which plants release water vapor into the air from their
leaves
 Condensation—the changing from a gas to a liquid (cooling)
 Precipitation—any form of water that falls from the clouds (rain, sleet, snow, hail)
 Run-off—water that moves across the surface of the Earth
5.P.2
Properties and Changes of Matter.

























State of matter—the physical form in which a substance can exist
Matter—anything that has both volume and mass
Volume—the amount of space taken up, or occupied, by an object
Mass—the amount of matter in an object
Density—the ratio of mass of a substance to its volume
Weight—a measure of the force of gravity on the mass of an object
Pan balance—a tool used to measure mass
Spring scale—a tool used to measure weight or force
Solid—the state of matter that has a definite shape and a definite volume
Atom—the building block (smallest unit) of all matter
Liquid—the state of matter that has a definite volume but takes up the shape if its
container
Surface tension—a force that holds together the particles of a liquid at its surface
Gas—the state of matter that has no definite shape or definite volume
Change of state—the change of a substance from one physical form to another
Physical state— change in state (solid, liquid, or gas) without changing the
substance
Energy—the ability to do work or change
Melting point—the temperature at which a solid turns into a liquid
Freezing point—the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid
Boiling point—the temperature at which a liquid turns into a gas
Condensation—a change of state from a gas to a liquid (cooling)
Condensation point—the temperature at which a gas turns into a liquid
Physical property—a feature that can be observed with the senses or measured
with a tool (temperature, color, size)
Physical change—a change in which no new material has formed (tearing, cutting,
folding, etc.)
Conduct— to let heat pass through easily
Conductor—a material through which heat can move through easily (metals)
Physical Science Vocabulary 2015
 Dissolve—to mix evenly in a liquid; to break into tiny pieces that seem to disappear
 Chemical change—a change in which one or more new types of matter form
(burning, bubbling, color change, etc)
 Chemical properties— the ability of a material to react with another material to
form a new substance
 Qualitative data—pieces of information that are described in words (color, size, etc)
 Quantitative data—pieces of information described in numbers and units
5.P.3




















Transfer of Energy Vocabulary
Energy—the ability to make things move or change
Matter—anything that has mass and takes up space
Work—the use of a force that causes an object to move in the direction of the force
Joule—the unit for work
Kinetic energy—the energy an object has because of its motion
Potential energy—the energy an object has because if its position
Mechanical energy—the total energy of motion and position of an object
Thermal energy—all the kinetic energy due the random motion of the particles that
make up an object
Electron—an atomic particle that has a negative charge
Electrical energy—the energy of moving electrons
Light energy—the energy produced by the vibrations of electrically charged
particles
Sound energy—the energy of a substance that changes as its atoms are rearranged
Nuclear energy—the energy produced when matter is changed into energy
Heat—the energy transferred between objects that are different temperatures
Energy conservation—the change of one form of energy to another
Convection—the transfer of thermal energy by the movements of liquids or gases
Conduction—the transfer of thermal energy between things that are touching
Radiation—the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves
Conductor—a material through which heat can move easily
Insulator—a material that heat does not move through easily