| Definition |
Term |
| A positive characteristic of an organism that allows it to better conform to the environment (fins for swimming, wings for flying) | adaptation |
| 1/100th of a meter. | centimeter |
| The metric system’s standard measurement of length. | meter |
| 1/1000 of a kilogram | gram |
| When cells are developed for special functions. | cell specialization |
| The outside covering of an animal cell | cell membrane |
| A piece of scientific equipment used for observing microscopic organisms. | microscope |
| This part of a cell controls all cell activity. | nucleus |
| The outside covering of a plant cell. | cell wall |
| The process by which an organism multiplies. | reproduction |
| The process by which plants use sunlight to produce food. | photosynthesis |
| The gas used by plants during photosynthesis. | carbon dioxide |
| The gas produced by plants during photosynthesis. | oxygen |
| Animals that have a backbone. | vertebrates |
| Animals that do not have a backbone. | invertebrates |
| Animals that maintain a constant body temperature. | warm blooded |
| Plants that produce seeds that are protected by a fruit. | flowering plant |
| Plants that produce unprotected seeds. | non-flowering plants |
| The female part of a plant where fruit is produced. | ovary |
| The process by which male and female cells unite. | fertilization |
| Photosynthesis produces this and oxygen. | sugar |
| The principle food storage substance of plants. | starch |
| The process by which food is changed into useful substances by the body. | digestion |
| The process by which blood travels through the body. | circulation |
| A segment of DNA that transmits hereditary characteristics. | gene |
| Traits that are genetically acquired from parents. | inherited |
| Traits that are learned. | acquired |
| Remnants of an ancient organism preserved in rock. | fossil |
| Animal that lives off a host organism. | parasite |
| Struggle between living things for water, food and energy. | competition |
| Relationship in which an organism lives on, near or in another organism. | symbiosis |
| Gas used by plants for food production. | carbon dioxide |
| Temperature scale where water boils at 212 degrees. | Fahrenheit |
| Temperature scale where water freezes at zero degrees. | Celsius |
| Tool used to measure the mass of an object. | scale or balance |
| A tool used for measuring the volume of a liquid. | graduated cylinder |
| A tool used to measure temperature. | thermometer |
| A device used to measure force. | Spring scale |
| The measure of the force that the Earth attracts an object. | weight |
| The amount of matter in an object. | mass |
| The amount of space taken up by an object. | volume |
| Matter that consists of two or more substances not chemically combined. | mixture |
| The simplest type of a pure substance. | element |
| Two or more elements chemically combined. | compound |
| The smallest part of an element that has all the properties of an element. | atom |
| Anything that has mass and volume. | matter |
| The means by which atoms are held together. | bond |
| A circuit in which electricity flows all the way around it. | complete circuit |
| A circuit in which electricity is not allowed to flow around it. | open circuit |
| The process of a liquid going to a gas. | evaporation |
| The process of a gas going to a liquid. | condensation |
| The process of a liquid changing to a solid. | freezing |
| A substance present before a chemical change. | reactant |
| A substance formed after a chemical change. | product |
| A simple machine that uses a rope and a wheel. | pulley |
| A simple machine that has a fulcrum. | lever |
| A ramp is an example of this simple machine. | inclined plane |
| A steering wheel is an example of what type of simple machine? | wheel and axle |
| When two objects are drawn together by a force. | attraction |
| In what type of medium does sound travel fastest? | solids |
| In what type of medium does sound travel the slowest? | gases |
| What part of the eye receives the image? | retina |
| What controls the amount of light received by the eye? | pupil |
| The bending of light in different materials is called? | refraction |
| When an object appears red, only red light is reflected from the object, what happens to the other colors? | absorbed |
| Light that is directed in all different directions is said to be…? | scattered |
| A material that lets light and images pass through it. | transparent |
| A material that allows light but no image to pass through it. | translucent |
| A material that does not allow light or images to pass through it. | opaque |
| The amount of time it takes a pendulum to make one complete swing. | period |
| The number of waves to pass a given point in a given amount of time. | frequency |
| The height of the wave above or below the normal. | amplitude |
| A wave containing compressions and rarefactions. | longitudinal wave |
| The direction of the wave is at right angles to the motion of the medium. | transverse wave |
| When a wave bounces off a barrier. | reflection |
| The height of an area above sea level. | elevation |
| A map that shows different shapes and sizes of an area using contour lines. | topographic |
| A flat area that does not rise far above sea level. | plain |
| A large area of relatively flat land high above sea level. | plateau |
| Metamorphic rocks are formed from… | heat and pressure |
| Sedimentary rocks are formed from… | sediments |
| Igneous rocks are formed from… | magma |
| Dating of fossils due to the age of rock in which they are found. | relative dating |
| The breaking down of rock by physical processes. | weathering |
| Large bodies of ice that break down rock. | glaciers |
| Glacier that covers a large area of a continent. | Continental glacier |
| Glacier that flows down a mountain. | Valley glacier |
| Ice that covers the poles of the earth. | Polar cap |
| A constant flow of water from underground. | Spring |
| A flow of water from areas of high ground to low. | River or stream |
| The weight of the air above you. | Air pressure |
| The amount of water vapor in the air. | Humidity |
| A large area of air about the same temperature. | Air mass |
| The edge of an area of cooler air associated with severe weather. | Cold Front |
| The edge of an area of warm air associated with light rain. | Warm front |
| The path a planet takes around the sun. | Orbit |
| Any object that orbits the planet. | Satellite |
| In space, a large chunk of ice that has a tail. | Comet |
| The amount of time it takes a planet to complete one revolution around the sun. | Year |
| The point at which a planet rotates. | Axis |
