click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
OGT Science JHS a-z
OGT Science terms 164 cards a-z All Strands JHS KS
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Abiotic | The nonliving parts of the environment |
Acceleration | A change in speed (or velocity) |
Acid | A chemical that reacts easily with other substances and turns litmus paper red; less than 7 on the pH scale |
Adaptation | A feature of an organism that helps it meet a particular need in its natural habitat |
Air massA | large body of air that has the same characteristics throughout |
Allele | One of the forms of a gene that is found in pairs on a chromosome; Some alleles are dominant over others |
Alloy | A mixture of metals (and sometimes non-metals) which forms one metallic substance; Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper |
Atom | The smallest unit of a substance that has all of the properties of that substance |
Atomic number | The number of protons in an atom |
Bacteria | The kingdom of life which has no cell membrane or nucleus and is always unicellular |
Base | A chemical that reacts easily with other substances and turns litmus paper blue; greater than 7 on the pH scale |
Biogeochemical cycle | A way that a chemical element or molecule moves through both the biotic ("bio-") and abiotic ("geo-") parts of an ecosystem |
Biome | A region of the world that has a particular climate and unique plants and animals that live there |
Biotic | Anything that is alive |
Bond | An electrical force that links atoms together |
Carbohydrate | An essential chemical in all cells that is broken down to form sugars; glucose, sucrose, lactose, galactose |
Carbon cycle | The flow of carbon dioxide and oxygen throughout the Earth Cell differentiation |
Cell division | A process where one cell becomes more than one cell |
Organelle | Parts of the cell that perform specific functions |
Cellular respiration | The process where organisms get energy from organic molecules Ceramic |
Chemical change | A change in a substance that results in a completely different substance or substances and cannot be undone |
Chemical property | Describes the ability of a substance to react and form new substances Chemical reaction what occurs when one or more reactants combine to form one or more products |
Chemosynthesis | The creation of carbohydrate from carbon dioxide and water that only happens in certain bacteria and fungi |
Chloroplast | Organelle in plants and some other organisms which is responsible for photosynthesis |
Chromosome | A thread-like strand of DNA or RNA in the cell |
Cilia | A hair-like organelle on the outside of a cell used in movement |
Climate | The weather in some location over a long period of time |
Cloning | The creation of genetically identical copies of some organism |
Comet | A small, frozen object outside the earth which travels around the sun in an ellipse Commensalism |
Conduction | The ability of a material to allow electricity or heat to pass through |
Conserve | To keep the same through a physical or chemical reaction; energy is conserved in this process |
Constant | Does not change |
Convection | The process where heat causes fluids (gas or liquid) to rise and bring heat up Covalent |
Bond | A type of chemical bond where electrons are shared between the atoms Cyclic Darwin |
Deciduous forest | A biome where the trees lose their leaves every year |
Deduction | A way of making scientific discoveries where general ideas are tested very specifically |
Density | The mass of a substance per unit volume |
Dissipate | To cause to separate and go in different directions |
Dissolve | To cause to go into a solution |
Diversity | The distribution and abundance of different plant and animal communities and species within a given area |
DNA | Abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid, which contains the genetic instructions for all forms of life |
Ecosystem | An ecosystem is an area consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms (biotic factors) working together with all of the non-living (abiotic) factors of the environment |
Electricity | Energy caused by the movement of electrons in a direction Electromagnetic radiation |
Electromagnetic spectrum | The range of all possible electromagnetic radiation Electromagnetic waves |
Electron | A negatively charged particle outside the nucleus of an atom |
Element | A substance composed of atoms with the identical atomic number; organized in the periodic table |
Endothermic | A chemical reaction that absorbs heat energy |
Energy production | Since energy cannot be created or destroyed, this refers to getting energy into a more usable form |
Energy transfer | Energy can be transferred from one place to another, but when this happens, energy is always lost |
Energy | The property of something's ability to do work |
Equilibrium | A system is at equilibrium when no change is occurring |
Eukaryote | A type of organism that has a true nucleus in its cell(s) EvidenceKnowledge on which to base an idea or belief |
Evolution | The events involved in the development over long periods of time of organisms |
Exothermic | A chemical reaction that gives off heat energy |
Extrusive | On the outside; when talking about rocks, extrusive rocks are formed on the surface of the Earth when lava cools |
Family | The classification group above genus |
Faulting | The creation of a crack in the surface of the Earth due to plate tectonics Fermentation |
Fission | The splitting of an atomic nucleus that releases energy |
Flagella | An organelle of some prokaryotes that allows for movement and resembles a tail |
Fossil fuel | An energy source (fuel) made from ancient plant or animal remains (fossils) |
Frequency | The amount of times something happens per second |
Fungi | The kingdom of living things that are eukaryotic and make their own energy; mushrooms, yeast, molds |
Fusion | The combination of two or more atomic nuclei that releases energy |
Gametes | The cells that are responsible for sexual reproduction; sperm, eggs |
Gamma ray | A form of electromagnetic radiation that has a very short wavelength and high frequency |
Gene | The basic unit of heredity, composed of DNA and found on chromosomes |
Genetic variation | Changes between organisms that is based on their DNA |
Genotype | The letters that represent the two alleles that make up a gene |
Genus | A classification of living things that is more specific than the species |
Geological | Referring to geology, the study of the Earth |
Germ theory | The theory that says that diseases come from small organisms (germs) |
Habitat | The environment that a species depends upon for its survival |
Hardness | A scale that tells how hard a particular rock is; harder rock scratches softer rock |
Helium | The second-lightest chemical element and found primarily in stars like the sun Heterozygous |
Homeostasis | Maintenance of a constant internal environment in an organism. Homozygous |
Hybrid | A combination of two different things; in genetics, this refers to the cross between a homozygous dominant and homozygous recessive individual to form heterozygous individuals; BB x bb = Bb |
Hydrogen | The lightest chemical element and the main fuel in stars like the sun Hypothesis |
Igneous | Rock that is formed from cooled magma (intrusive rock) or lava (extrusive rock) |
Infrared | A part of the electromagnetic spectrum that has less energy than visible light; it is the radiation that heat gives off |
Inquiry | The process where information is received by asking questions |
Ion | A charged particle that either has more or less electrons than protons |
Ionic Bond | A type of bond where ions are formed; electrons are not shared between the atoms as they are lost from one atom and attracted to the other |
Isotope | A version of an element having the same atomic number but a different atomic mass; this is due to an increase or decrease in the number of electrons |
Kinetic energy | The energy of movement |
Lipid | Refers to a group of fats that cannot be dissolved in water |
Lithosphere | The section of Earth that is composed of rock Living systemA group of organisms and their environment |
Magnet | A type of substance containing iron which also attracts iron (or steel) Malleable |
Mass | How much matter there is in an object |
Matter | Something that has mass and occupies space |
Meiosis | The process of cell division which produces four sex cells (gametes) from one cell |
Mendel | Gregor Mendel, the scientist who experimented with pea plants and discovered how genetic factors were passed down from parents to offspring |
Metal | A chemical element from the left-hand side of the periodic table that is malleable, ductile and conducts electricity |
Metalloid | A chemical element that has characteristics of both metals and nonmetals Metamorphic |
Microwave | A type of electromagnetic radiation that has low energy and is used primarily for communication (cell phones) |
Mitochondria | An organelle in all eukaryotic cells which is responsible for energy production |
Mitosis | The process of cell division which produces two body cells from one cell |
Molecule | The smallest unit of a substance that is the combination of one or more atoms |
Mutation | A change in the DNA of an organism; substitution, deletion, insertion Mutualism |
Natural selection | The process in which some organisms live and reproduce and others die before reproducing |
Newton | Sir Isaac Newton, a scientist who made hundreds of contributions to science like the law of gravity and his three major laws of physics; a Newton is a measure of force |
Newton's 1st Law | An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force |
Newton's 2nd Law | The net force on an object is equal to the acceleration on that object times the mass of the object |
Newton's 3rd Law | Every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction |
Nonmetal | A chemical element from the right side of the periodic table that is brittle and does not conduct electricity well |
Nuclear decay | This happens when the nucleus of an atom breaks apart; usually, neutrons and protons leave the nucleus |
Nuclear energy | Energy that is produced by fission or fusion reactions |
Nuclear reaction | A reaction that happens in the nucleus of an atom; fission, fusion |
Nucleic acid | In the nucleus of a cell, there are two major types of nucleic acids: DNA and RNA |
Nucleus | 3In biology, this refers to the middle of a cell; in physical science, this refers to the center of an atom |
Organic | moleculeA molecule that contains carbon atoms bonded together |
Organism | A living thing that can live and reproduce independently |
Ozone | A form of oxygen that, in the atmosphere, protects living things from ultraviolet rays |
Parasitism | A relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism and benefits from that relationship while the host organism is harmed by it |
Peer review | A method of selecting essays to be published where a group of peers review and make comments about the submitted essays |
Periodic table | An arrangement of chemical elements based on their atomic numbers and similarity of properties |
pH scale | Measures the strength of acids and bases; an acid has a number below 7, a base has a number above 7 and neutral materials have a pH of 7 (like water) |
Phenotype | The physical expression (what can be seen) of a genetic characteristic; brown eyes, black hair |
Photosynthesis | The process that happens in plants and some other organisms which takes the sun's energy and turns it into usable energy; 6CO2 + 6H2O + Light è C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6O2 |
Physical change | A change in a substance that results in a different form of the substance and can be undone |
Physical property | A characteristic of a substance that can be observed; color, taste, texture, density |
Physical science | Any of the sciences, such as physics, chemistry, astronomy, and geology, that discusses the nature and properties of energy and nonliving matter |
Plastic | A material that can be molded and formed into objects and films |
Plate tectonics | The theory that the earth's surface is divided into a few large, thick plates that are constantly moving |
Potential energy | Stored energy; energy that is released and then becomes kinetic energy Predation |
Prokaryote | A type of living thing that is single-celled and has no true nucleus |
Protein synthesis | The creation of proteins in the cell from DNA |
Protein | A sequence of amino acids |
Proton | A positively-charged particle in the nucleus of an atom |
Pure substance | eA substance that has an identical chemical composition in every part |
Radiation | Energy that is transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles; when talking about heat, this is when heat spreads out from a central source |
Radio wave | A type of electromagnetic radiation that has very low energy and a very long wavelength (can be 10 – 20 feet long); used for cell phones and radios of all kinds |
Radioactive substance | A type of substance that releases neutrons and protons from its nucleus |
Radiometric dating | Determining the age of a rock or fossil based on the amount of one isotope compared with another isotope; ex: the amount of carbon-14 versus the amount of carbon-12 can determine how old something is because carbon-14 breaks down to carbon-12 over time |
Recessive | A genetic characteristic that is only expressed by the organism if there is no dominant characteristic present |
Recycle | To break down a material so that it can be reused instead of throwing it away Reproduction |
Sea-floor spreading | In geology, when oceanic plates move apart, the middle fills in with magma which cools and forms new sea floor |
Semiconductor | A type of material that allows electricity to flow with average resistance |
Sex-linked trait | A genetic characteristic that is present only on the X (or in some cases, the Y) chromosome and so behaves differently in males and females Sexual |
Solid | One of the basic states of matter which has a definite shape and volume |
Species | A very specific classification of organisms; all members of a species can mate together |
Speed | The amount of distance an object travels divided by the amount of time it takes; He traveled 30 mph |
Stem cell | A type of cell that can turn into any other type of cell |
Superconductor | A type of material that allows electricity to flow with no resistance |
Sustainable agriculture | Agriculture that is done so the land is used well and can continue on forever |
Symbiosis | A relationship between two or more organisms |
Synthesis | The combination of two or more things or concepts TechnologyThe application of science to solve a particular problem |
Temperature | The measurement of the average thermal energy of a system |
Theory | A well proven explanation of some part of the natural world |
Thermal energy | Heat |
Total mass | The combination of all of the masses of everything that is being considered Ultraviolet |
Unbalanced force | A force that is not balanced out by an opposite force; She was pushing against the wall, but when the wall fell it became an unbalanced force! |
Unstable nuclei | More than one nucleus (nuclei) that break down very quickly to smaller nuclei |
Variation | Something that has changed; in biology, this refers to the genetic difference between individuals |
Velocity | The distance that an object travels over a certain amount of time and in a certain direction; He traveled at 30 mph south |
Virus | A small particle that contains DNA or RNA and is able to reproduce only inside of a living cell |
visible ligh | A form of electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye (other organisms are capable of seeing some infrared and ultraviolet radiation) |
Volume | The amount of space an object takes up |
Wave | A movement up and down or back and forth |
Wavelength | Refers to the length of a single wave (back and forth); can be calculated from the crest of one wave to the crest of the next |
Weight | The combination of the mass and the force of gravity on an object |
X-rays | A form of electromagnetic radiation that has low energy and is used in medical equipment |