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Chapter 1 vocab
| astronomy | study of objects beyond earths atmosphere |
| meteorology | The study of the atmosphere, which is the air surrounding Earth |
| geology | the materials that make up Earth |
| oceanography | The study of Earth's oceans which cover nearly three-fourths of the planet |
| environmental science | The study of the interaction of organisms and their surroundings |
| geosphere | the area from the surface of earth down to its center |
| atmosphere | the blanket of gases that surrounds our planet |
| hydrosphere | all the water on Earth including the water in the atmosphere |
| biosphere | Includes all organisms on earth as well as the environments in which they live |
| scientific methods | a series of problem solving procedures that help scientists conduct experiments |
| hypothesis | a testable explanation of a situation |
| independent variable | factor that is manipulated by the experimenter in an experiment |
| dependent varibale | factor in an experiment that can change if the independent variable is changed |
| control | standard for comparison |
| 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. |