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Earth Science ch1
Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| astronomy | study of objects beyond Earth's atmosphere. |
| meteorology | the study of the atmosphere,which is the air surrounding Earth. |
| geology | study of materials that make up Earth and the processes that form and change these materials, and the history of the planet and its life-forms since its origin. |
| oceanography | study of Earth's ocean including the creatures that inhabit its waters, its physical and chemical properties, and the effects of human activities. |
| environmental science | study of the interactions of humans with environment. |
| geosphere | the part of Earth from its surface to its center. |
| atmosphere | blanket of gases surrounding Earth that contains about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 1 percent other gases such as argon, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. |
| hydrosphere | all of the water in Earth's oceans, lakes, seas, rivers, and glaciers plus all the water in the atmosphere. |
| biosphere | all of Earth's organisms and the environments in which they live. |
| scientific methods | a series of problem-solving procedures that help scientist conduct experiment. |
| hypothesis | a testable explanation of a sitiuation. |
| independent variable | factor that is manipulated by the experimenter in an experiment. |
| dependent variable | factor in an experiment that can change if the independent variable is changed. |
| control | standard for comparison in an experiment. |
| Le Systeme International d'Unites (SI) | replacement for the metric system; based on a decimal system using the number 10 as the base unit; includes the meter:(m), second:(s), and kilogram:(kg) |
| scientific notation | a method used by scientists to express a number as a value between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10. |
| scientific model | an idea, a system, or a mathematical expression that represents the idea being explained. |
| scientific theory | an explanation based on many observations during repeated experiments; valid only if consistent with observations, can be used to make testable predictions, and is the simplest explanation; can be changed or modified with the discovery of new data. |
| scientific law | a principle that describes the behavior of a natural phenomenon. |