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Science vocabulary - Chapter 1
Cell – the smallest and most basic unit of a living thing
Leaf – the plant part that collects sunlight and gases from the air and uses
them to make food for the plant
Nutrient – a substance that living things need to survive and grow
Photosynthesis – the process by which a plant makes food
Root – the plant part that takes in water and nutrients and supports the plant
Stem – the plant part that holds up the leaves and carries water and nutrients
through the plant
Conifer – a plant that makes seeds inside cones
Fruit – the part of the plant that contains the seeds
Life cycle – the series of changes that a living thing goes through during its
lifetime
Seed – the first stage of most plants
Larva – the wormlike second stage in the life cycle of an insect
Offspring – the living things made when an animal reproduces
Pupa – the third stage in the life cycle of many insects, in which the larva
changes into an adult
Individual – a single member of a species
Science vocabulary Ch. 2 – Survival of Living Things –
Trait – a feature such as a body part or a behavior
Energy – the ability to cause change
Ecosystem – all the living and nonliving things that exist and interact in one place
Environment – all the living and nonliving things that surround and affect an organism
Note: the above 2 terms are so close in meaning that students will not be tested on the difference
Organism – any living thing
Community – a group of plants and animals that live in the same area and interact with
each other
Population – all the organisms of the same kind that live in an ecosystem
Resource – a thing found in nature that is useful to organisms
Adaptation – a behavior or body part that helps a living thing survive in its environment
Behavior – the way that an organism typically acts in a certain situation
Habitat – the place in which an organism lives
Pollution – the addition of harmful materials to the environment
Predator – an animal that hunts other animals for food
Prey – any animal that is hunted for food by a predator
Ch. 3
Endangered species – a species that has so few members that the
entire species is at risk of dying out
Extinct species – a species that has died off
Species – a group of the same type of living thing that can mate and
produce other living things of the same kind
Era – a major division of time
Fossil – the preserved remains of an organism that lived long ago
Paleontologist – a scientist who studies fossils and forms of life that no
longer exist
Ancestor – a species that lived long ago from which modern species
are descended
Relative – a species that shares a common ancestor with another
species
Trait – a feature such as a body part or a behavior
Science Vocabulary - Chapter 4:
Magnify – to make an object appear larger
Telescope – a tool that makes distant objects appear larger, brighter, sharper
Sun – the nearest star to Earth
Planet – a large body in space the moves around a star
Moon – a small, rounded body that orbits a planet
Inner planets – the 4 planets closest to the Sun and inside the asteroid bel
Outer planets – the 4 planets farthest from the Sun and outside the asteroid
belt
Solar system – the Sun and the planets, moons, and other objects that orbit
the Sun
Orbit – to move in a path around an object, or the path an object takes as it
moves around another object (moon/planet, planet/sun)
Space probe – a craft that helps scientists explore outer space
Chapter 5:
Chapter 5: Earth’s Surface and Resources
Landform – a part of Earth’s surface that has a certain shape and that is formed naturally
Mineral – a material that is found in nature and that has never been alive
Rock – a solid material made up of one or more minerals
igneous rock – rock that forms when melted rock from inside Earth cools and hardens
sedimentary rock – rock that forms when sediment is pressed together and hardens
metamorphic rock – rock that forms when other rock is changed by heat and pressure
weathering – the breaking up or wearing away of rock
Earth’s layers:
crust – the thin outer layer of the Earth, which is made up of rock
mantle – the thick layer of soft and solid rock that is beneath the crust
core – the innermost layer of the Earth, made up of the outer and inner core
natural resource – a material from Earth that is useful to people
nonrenewable resource – a natural resource that is in limited supply and that cannot be
replaced or that takes thousands of years to be replaced (ex.: oil, coal, redwood tree)
ore – rock that contains metal or other useful minerals
renewable resource – a natural resource that can be replaced by nature (plants and most
trees, water, sunlight, wind)
pollution – the addition of harmful materials to the environment
conservation – the safekeeping and wise use of natural resources
recycle – to collect old materials, process them, and use them to make new items
Chapter 5 Science vocabulary – Earth’s Surface and Resources:
Lesson 1:
geological feature or landform – a part of Earth’s surface that has a certain shape and is
formed naturally
mountain – a raised part of the land, usually with steep sides, that rises above the area
around it
valley – a low area of land between mountains, hills, or other high areas
canyon – a narrow and deep valley with steep sides that often has a stream or river
flowing through it
plain – a large land area that is mostly flat
plateau – a flat area of land that is higher than the land around it
Lesson 2:
mineral – a material that is found in nature and that has never been alive (gold, iron, salt)
rock – a solid material made up of one or more minerals
igneous rock – rock that forms when melted rock from inside the Earth cools and
hardens
sedimentary rock – rock that forms when sand, pieces of rock, soil, and remains of
once-living things are pressed together and harden
weathering – the breaking up or wearing away of rock by natural forces
metamorphic rock – rock that forms when other rocks are changed by heat and pressure
Earth’s layers:
crust – the thin outer layer of the Earth, which is made up of rock
mantle – the thick layer of soft and solid rock that is beneath the crust
core – the innermost layer of the Earth, made up of the outer and inner core
Chapter 6 Vocabulary:
water cycle – the movement of water between the air and earth as it changes state
precipitation – any form of water that falls from clouds to Earth’s surface
evaporation – the change of state from liquid to gas
condensation - the change of state from gas to liquid
water vapor – water in the form of an invisible gas
ice – the solid form of water
atmosphere – the layers of air that cover Earth’s surface
temperature – the measure of how hot or cold something is
weather – the condition of the atmosphere at a certain place and time
climate – the average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time
equator – an imaginary line around Earth, halfway between the N. Pole and the S. Pole
latitude – the distance north or south of the equator
polar climate – a climate with long, cold winters and short, cool summers
temperate climate – a climate with warm or hot summers and cool or cold winters
tropical climate – a climate that is very warm and wet for all or most of the year
Chapter 7
matter – anything that has mass and takes up space
solid – matter that has a definite shape and that takes up a definite amount of space
liquid – matter that takes the shape of its container and takes up a definite amount of
space
gas –matter that has no definite shape and that does not take up a definite amount of
space
mass – the amount of matter in an object (measured in grams)
volume – the amount of space that matter takes up (measured in liters)
physical property –characteristic of matter that can be measured or observed with the
senses
physical change – a change in the size, shape, or state of matter
condense – to change state from gas to liquid
evaporate – to change state slowly from liquid to gas
freeze – to change state from liquid to solid
melt – to change state from solid to liquid
Chapter 8 – Heat and Sound Energy:
Heat energy:
conductor – any material that allows heat to move through it easily
friction - a force that occurs when one object rubs against another object
thermal energy – the energy of moving particles in matter
heat – the flow of thermal energy from warmer objects to cooler objects
Sound energy:
pitch – how high or low a sound seems
vibrate – to move back and forth quickly
volume – how loud or soft a sound seems
wave – a movement that carries energy from one place to another
crest – the highest point of a wave
trough – the lowest point of a wave
Science Vocabulary for Chapter 9 – Force and Motion:
Force – a push or a pull
Gravity – a force that pulls an object toward another object
Motion – a change in the position of an object
Direction – the path an object follows
Distance – a measure of length
Speed – a measure of how fast or slowly something is moving
Magnet – any object that pulls certain metals toward it
Magnetic poles – the ends of a magnet, where the force of attraction is strongest
Magnetism – a magnet’s ability to attract certain metals
Attract – to pull toward