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Paaa Science
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1. Abiotic | A nonliving factor or element (e.g., light, water, heat, rock, energy, mineral). |
| 2. Acid deposition: | Precipitation with a pH less than 5.6 that forms in the atmosphere when certain pollutants mix with water vapor. |
| 3. Allele: | Any of a set of possible forms of a gene. |
| 4. Biochemical conversion: | The changing of organic matter into other chemical forms. |
| 5. Biological diversity: | The variety and complexity of species present and interacting in an ecosystem and the relative abundance of each. |
| 6. Biomass conversion: | The changing of organic matter that has been produced by photosynthesis into useful liquid, gas or fuel. |
| 7. Biomedical technology: | The application of health care theories to develop methods, products and tools to maintain or improve homeostasis. |
| 8. Biomes: | A community of living organisms of a single major ecological region. |
| 9. Biotechnology: | The ways that humans apply biological concepts to produce products and provide services. |
| 10. Biotic: . | The organisms in an environment |
| 11. Carbon chemistry: | The science of the composition, structure, properties and reactions of carbon based matter, especially of atomic and molecular systems; sometimes referred to as organic chemistry |
| 12. Closed loop system | a system that has feedback and can modify itself |
| 13. Commodities: | Economic goods or products before they are processed and/or given a brand name, such as a product of agriculture. |
| 14. Composting: | The process of mixing decaying leaves, manure and other nutritive matter to improve and fertilize soil. |
| 15. Construction technology: | The ways that humans build structures on sites. |
| 16. Consumer: | Those organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms and their remains.. |
| 17. Decomposer: | An organism, often microscopic in size, that obtains nutrients by consuming dead organic matter, thereby making nutrients accessible to other organisms. |
| 18. Delineate: | To trace the outline; to draw; to sketch; to depict or picture. |
| 19. Desalinization: | To remove salts and other chemicals from sea or saline water. |
| 20. Dichotomous: | Divided or dividing into two parts or classifications. |
| 21. Ecosystem: | A community of living organisms and their interrelated physical and chemical environment. |
| 22. Electronic communication: | System for the transmission of information using electronic technology (e.g., digital cameras, cellular telephones, Internet, television, fiber optics). |
| 23. Embryology: | The branch of biology dealing with the development of living things from fertilized egg to its developed state. |
| 24. Endangered species: | A species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. |
| 25. Engineering: | The application of scientific, physical, mechanical and mathematical principles to design processes, products and structures that improve the quality of life. |
| 26. Environment: | The total of the surroundings (air, water, soil, vegetation, people, wildlife) influencing each living being’s existence, including physical, biological and all other factors |
| 27. Enzyme: | A protein that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being changed by the reaction; an organic catalyst. |
| 28. Equilibrium: | The ability of an ecosystem to maintain stability among its biological resources (e.g., forest, fisheries, crops) so that there is a steady optimum yieldontrol, position, movement and environment. |
| 29. Ergonomical: | Of or relating to the design of equipment or devices to fit the human body’s control, position, movement and environment. |
| 30. Evolution: | A process of change that explains why what we see today is different from what existed in the past; it includes changes in the galaxies, stars, solar system, earth and life on earth. |
| 31. Biological evolution | is a change in hereditary characteristics of groups of organisms over the course of generations. |
| 32. Extinction: | The complete elimination of a species from the earth. |
| 33. Fact: . | Information that has been objectively verified |
| 34. Geologic hazard: . | A naturally occurring or man-made condition or phenomenon that presents a risk or is a potential danger to life and property |
| 35. Geologic map | : A representation of a region on which is recorded earth's information (e.g., the distribution, nature and age relationships of rock units and the occurrences of structural features, mineral deposits and fossil localities). |
| 36. Groundwater: . | Water that infiltrates the soil and is located in underground reservoirs called aquifers |
| 37. Hazardous waste: | A solid that, because of its quantity or concentration or its physical, chemical or infectious characteristics, might cause a potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported or disposed of, or otherwise ma |
| 38. Homeostasis: | The tendency for a system to remain in a state of equilibrium by resisting change. |
| 39. Hydrology: | The scientific study of the properties, distribution and effects of water on the earth’s surface, in the soil and underlying rocks and in the atmosphere. |
| 40. Hypothesis: | An assertion subject to verification or proof as a premise from which a conclusion is drawn. |
| Incineration | -Burning to ashes |
| 41. Information technology: | The technical means that humans create to store and transmit information. |
| 42. Inquiry: | A systematic process for using knowledge and skills to acquire and apply new knowledge. |
| 43. Instructional technology: | Any mechanical aid (including computer technology) used to assist in or enhance the process of teaching and learning. |
| 44. Integrated pest management: | A variety of pest control methods that include repairs, traps, bait, poison, etc. to eliminate pests. |
| 45. Law: | Summarizing statement of observed experimental facts that has been tested many times and is generally accepted as true |
| 46. Lentic: | Relating to or living in still water. |
| 47. Lotic | : Relating to or living in actively moving water. |
| 48. Manufacturing technology: | The ways that humans produce goods and products. |
| 49. Mitigation: | The policy of constructing or creating man-made habitats, such as wetlands, to replace those lost to development. |
| 50. Mitosis: | The sequential differentiation and segregation of replicated chromosomes in a cell’s nucleus that precedes complete cell division. |
| 51. Model: | A description, analogy or a representation of something that helps us understand it better (e.g., a physical model, a conceptual model, a mathematical model). |
| 52. Niche (ecological): | The role played by an organism in an ecosystem; its food preferences, requirements for shelter, special behaviors and the timing of its activities (e.g., nocturnal, diurnal), interaction with other organisms and its habitat. |
| 53. Nonpoint source pollution: | Contamination that originates from many locations that all discharge into a location (e.g., a lake, stream, land area). |
| 54. Nonrenewable resources: | Substances (e.g., oil, gas, coal, copper, gold) that, once used, cannot be replaced in this geological age. |
| 55. Nova: | A variable star that suddenly increases in brightness to several times its normal magnitude and returns to its original appearance in a few weeks to several months or years. |
| 56. Patterns: | Repeated processes that are exhibited in a wide variety of ways; identifiable recurrences of the element and/or the form. |
| 57. Pest: | A label applied to an organism when it is in competition with humans for some resource. |
| 58. Physical technology: | The ways that humans construct, manufacture and transport products. |
| 59. Point source pollution: | Pollutants discharged from a single identifiable location (e.g., pipes, ditches, channels, sewers, tunnels, containers of various types). |
| 60. Radioactive isotope: | An atom that gives off nuclear radiation and has the same number of protons (atomic number) as another atom but a different number of neutrons. |
| 61. Recycling: | Collecting and reprocessing a resource or product to make into new products. |
| 62. Regulation: | A rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law. |
| 63. Renewable: | A naturally occurring raw material or form of energy that will be replenished through natural ecological cycles or sound management practices (e.g., the sun, wind, water, trees). |
| 64. Risk management: | A strategy developed to reduce or control the chance of harm or loss to one’s health or life; the process of identifying, evaluating, selecting and implementing actions to reduce risk to human health and to ecosystems |
| 65. Scale: | Relates concepts and ideas to one another by some measurement (e.g., quantitative, numeral, abstract, ideological); provides a measure of size and/or incremental change. |
| 66. Science: | Search for understanding the natural world using inquiry and experimentation. |
| 67. Shredder:. | Through chewing and/or grinding, microorganisms feed on non-woody coarse particulate matter, primarily leaves |
| 68. Stream order: | Energy and nutrient flow that increases as water moves toward the oceans (e.g., the smallest stream (primary) that ends when rivers flow into oceans). |
| 69. Succession: | The series of changes that occur in an ecosystem with the passing of time. |
| 70. Sustainability: | The ability to keep in existence or maintain. |
| 71. System: | A group of related objects that work together to achieve a desired result. |
| 72. Closed Loop system: . | A group of related objects that have feedback and can modify themselves |
| 73. Open Loop system: s. | A group of related objects that do not have feedback and cannot modify themselve |
| 74. Subsystem: | A group of related objects that make up a larger system (e.g., automobiles have electrical systems, fuel systems). |
| 75. Technological design process: | Recognizing the problem, proposing a solution, implementing the solution, evaluating the solution and communicating the problem, design and solution. |
| 76. Technology education: | The application of tools, materials, processes and systems to solve problems and extend human capabilities. |
| 77. Theory of evolution: | A theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modification in successive generations. |
| 78. Theory: | a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. |
| 79. Tool: | Any device used to extend human capability including computer-based tools. |
| 80. Topographic map: | A representation of a region on a sufficient scale to show detail, selected man-made and natural features of a portion of the land surface including its relief and certain physical and cultural features |
| 81. Transportation systems: | A group of related parts that function together to perform a major task in any form of transportation. |
| 82. Transportation technology: | The physical ways humans move materials, goods and people. |
| 83. Trophic levels: | The role of an organism in nutrient and energy flow within an ecosystem (e.g., herbivore, carnivore, decomposer). |
| 84. Waste Stream: | The flow of (waste) materials from generation, collection and separation to disposal. |
| 85. Watershed: | The land area from which surface runoff drains into a stream, channel, lake, reservoir or other body of water; also called a drainage basin. |
| 86. Wetlands: | an area of land that remains wet for all or part of the year |
| 87. adaptation | a characteristic of an organism that promotes its survival in a certain environment |
| 88. Air pressure | the pressure of a column of air above a certain location exerts on earth's surface |
| 89. aquifer | a rock or sediment layer that holds water and allows water to flow through it |
| 90. barometer | an instrument used to measure air pressure |
| 92. beaker | .an instrument used to measure volume |
| 93. benefit | a way that a new development in science or technology meets the needs of society |
| 94. binoculars | an instrument used to reveal the details of faraway objects |
| 95. biodegradable | able to be naturally broken down into harmless substances |
| 96. biomass | any organic material that can be used as an energy source |
| 97. boiling point | the temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a gas or vice versa |
| 98. buoyancy | the force that helps objects float in water |
| 99. Calculator | an instrument used for calculations |
| 100. carrying capacity | the number of individuals an ecosystem can support |
| 101. cell | the basic unit of structure and function in an organism |
| 102. chemical property | a characteristic that describes how the matter will change under certain conditions |
| 103. climate | the average weather conditions of an area over a very long period of time |
| 104. commensalism | a symbiotic relationship in which one organism |
| 105. competition | an interaction that occurs when organisms sharing an ecosystem compete with each other for resources |
| 106. compound | a type of matter that forms when two or more elements combine chemically |
| 107. computer | a programmable device that is capable of storing data or executing commands, organize data, perform calculations and make graphs |
| 108. conclusion | an interpretation based on research, experience and data |
| 109. condensation | the process during which water loses heat energy a d changes |
| 110. conductor | a material or substance that allows an electric current or heat to flow through it easily |
| 111. conservation | the wise use of natural resources |
| 112. contact force | a force that involves a physical connection with an object |
| 113. control group | the subjects of an experiment for which the independent variable is not changed. |
| 114. controlled experiment | an experiment in which only one factor or variable is being tested at a time. |
| 115. crystal | a solid structure made up of a repeating pattern of atoms |
| 116. cycle | a system in which something happens over and over |
| 117. data | any information collected through scientific research |
| 118. deforestation | the clearing away of forests |
| 119. density | the amount of mass in every given volume of matter, or the ratio of mass to colume |
| 120. dependent variable | the result you get in an experiment from changing the independent variable |
| 121. deposition | the process that drops or deposits eroded sediment |
| 122. desertification | the process of turning productive land into deserts |
| 123. development | a process of change, such as from a human baby to an adolescent, to an adult |
| 124. diagram | a two dimensional model |
| 125. DNA | the chemical that makes up the genetic material of every living organism |
| 126. dominant trait | a trait that overrides or dominates another trait for the same characteristic |
| 127. earthquake | the shaking of the earth's surface that occurs when energy stored as pressure in rocks is released quickly |
| 128. ecosystem | all the organisms in an area as well as their relationships with each other and with the nonliving materials in the environment |
| 129. electric conductivity | a measure of the ability of a substance to allow an electric current to pass through it |
| 130. electrical force | the force created by electric changes |
| 131. element | a substance that cannot be broken down into a simpler substance by ordinary chemical means |
| 132. energy | the ability to do work |
| 133. erosion | the process that picks up and moves sediment |
| 134. evaporation | the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas |
| 135. experiment | a procedure designed to test a hypothesis |
| 136. experimental group | subjects of an experiment that experience a change in the independent variable |
| 137. F1 generation | the first generation of offspring |
| 138. fact | true information supported by observation |
| 139. fault | a break, or crack, in Earth's surface along which movement has occurred |
| 140. feedback | the information about a system's operation that is introduced back into a system |
| 141. force | a push or pull that acts on an object |
| 142. fossil fuel | an energy source that formed over millions of years from the decayed remains of ancient plants and animals |
| 143. freezing point | the temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a solid or vice versa |
| 144. genetics | the field of biology that investigates how characteristics are transmitted from parents to offspring |
| 145. geothermal energy | the heat energy from within earth that can be used to heat buildings and produce electricity |
| 146. friction | a contact force that opposes the motion of an object |
| 147. glacier | a mass of ice and snow that moves slowly over Earth's surface |
| 148. graduated cylinder | an instrument used to measure volume |
| 149. gravity | a weak long range attractive force that acts between objects |
| 150. greenhouse effect | the trapping of heat by certain gases in the atmosphere |
| 151. growth | the process of becoming larger |
| 152. hand lens | an instrument used to magnify small objects |
| 154. Heridity | the transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring |
| 155. Host | the organism that is affected by a parasite |
| 156. humidity | the amount of water vapor in the air |
| 157. hydroelectric energy | the energy obtained from the kinetic energy of water that flows through a dam |
| 158. hypothesis | a possible answer or tentative explanation to a scientific question |
| 159. igneous rock | the rock that forms when molten rock cools and hardens |
| 160. independent variable | a variable that is changed or manipulated by the experimenter |
| 161. infiltration | the movement of water into the ground through open spaces in soil or rocks |
| 162. input | any information that comes into a system |
| 163. insulator | a material that does not allow electric current or heat to flow through it easily |
| 164. kinetic energy | the energy due to motion of an object |
| 165. lake | a low area of land where surface water accumulates |
| 166.land breeze | a local wind that blows from land out toward an ocean or lake |
| 167. landslide | the rapid movement of sediment downhill |
| 168. lava | melted rock that is located on the earth's surface |
| 169. limiting factor | something in the ecosystem that keeps a population from getting too large |
| 170. magma | molten rock located below the earth's surface |
| 171. magnetic force | the force created by a magnet |
| 172. magnetism | the force of attraction or repulsion that exists between like and unlike poles |
| 173. metamorphic rock | the rock that forms when intense heat and pressure inside earth chemically changes existing rocks |
| 174. meteorologist | a scientist who studies earth's atmosphere |
| 175. microscope | an instrument used to magnify small objects that could ordinarily not be seen |
| 176. mixture | the type of matter that forms when two or more substances are combined but do not join together chemically |
| 177. multicellular | a living thing made of many cells |
| 178. mutualism | a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from interaction |
| 179. natural gas | a gaseous fossil fuel |
| 180. natural resource | a product of the environment that is used by humans or other organisms |
| 181. natural selection | the process whereby organisms that are best suited to a particular environmnet survive and thrive |
| 182. noncontact force | a force that does not require physical contact with an object |
| 183. nonrenewable energy resource | a natural energy supply that cannot be replaced as quickly as it is used |
| 184. observation | information gathered with the senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste |
| 185. open loop system | a system that does not have feedback and cannot modify itself |
| 186. opinion | a thought, belief, or judgement not proven by observations |
| 187. output | any information that comes out of a system |
| 188. overfishing | the practice of harvesting fish at a rate faster than the population can renew its numbers |
| 189. ozone depletion | the thinning of the ozone layer; attributed as an effect of pollution |
| 190. P1 generation | the parental generation |
| 191. pan balance | an instrument used to measure mass |
| 192. parasite | an organism that lives on or in another organism |
| 193. parasitism | a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed |
| 194. petroleum | a liquid fossil fuel also known as crude oil |
| 195. physical property | a characteristic of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing the identity of the substance |
| 196. plates | the moving pieces of earth's crust |
| 197. polluntant | a harmful material that is released into the environment |
| 198. pollution | the addition of harmful substances into the land, water, or air |
| 199. population density | the number of individuals of a species within a given area |
| 200. population size | the total number of individual organisms of a species in an ecosystem |
| 201. population | all the organisms of the same species that inhabit a specific ecosystem |
| 202. potential energy | the energy an object has because of its position or composition |
| 203. precipitation | water that falls from the atmosphere to the ground in forms such as rain, snow, sleet, and hail |
| 204. predator | an organism that kills and eats other organisms |
| 205. prey | an organism that a predator kills and eats |
| 206. primary succession | the change to an ecosystem that takes place after the ecosystem is completely destroyed |
| 207. process | a series of actions that occur within a system |
| 208. product | a substance formed during a chemical reaction |
| 209. property | any characteristic that can be used to identify and describe matter |
| 210. rate | a ratio that compares the change in two different quantities |
| 211. ratio | a statement that compares two different numbers |
| 212. reactant | a substance that takes part in a chemical reaction |
| 213. recessive trait | a trait that is overridden or dominated by another trait for the same characteristic |
| 214. renewable energy source | a natural energy supply that is replaced as quickly as it is used or is inexhaustible |
| 215. renewable resource | a resource that can be renewed or replaced through natural processes |
| 216. risk | how a new development in science or technology might negatively affect the environment or create unsafe conditions for people |
| 217. risk-benefit analysis | the process of weighing the potential harm a development in science or technology may cause against its benefits |
| 218. river | a large flowing stream of water that is fed by other, smaller streams |
| 219. robot | a mechanical device that automatically does the job for which it is designed |
| 220. rock cycle | a series of changes during which Earth's rocks change from one form to another |
| 221. rock | a naturally occurring substance that is made of one or more minerals |
| 222. ruler | an instrument used for measuring length or distance |
| 2223. run-off | water that flows over Earth's surface |
| 224. science inquiry | the process by which scientisits ask and seek answers to their questions about the natural world |
| 225. scientific knowledge | what we know to be true about the natural world |
| 226. scientific method | a series of organized steps that scientists use as a guide for answering a question or solving a problem |
| 227. scientific question | a question that is precise and can be answered through observation, measurement, testing, or analysis of research |
| 228. scientific theory | an idea or model used to explain known facts and predict new ones |
| 229. sea breeze | a local wind that blows from an ocean or a lake |
| 230. secondary succession | the change to an ecosystem that occurs after an ecosystem is disturbed but not destroyed |
| 231. sediment | small pieces of weathered rock |
| 232. sedimentary rock | the rock that forms from layers of sediment that are compacted and cemented together |
| 233. semiconductor | a material that has conductive properties that lie between those of conductors and insulators |
| 234. solar energy | the energy in the form of electromagnetic waves from the sun |
| 235. solubility | the measure of how much of a substance dissolves in a given amount of another substance |
| 236. speed | the distance an object travels per unit of time |
| 237. spring scale | an instrument used to measure weight |
| 238. stimulus | anything that causes a response |
| 239. stopwatch | an instrument used to measure time |
| 240. subsystem | a smaller system that is part of a larger system |
| 241. succession | the change to an ecosystem after a disturbance like a natural disaster |
| 242. sustainable development | a practice that involves using resources to meet needs in a way that does not destroy or deplete the resources for future generations |
| 243. symbiosis | a relationship between two organisms in which at least one of them benefits |
| 244. system | a collection of things or parts that interact with each other to function as a whole |
| 246. technology | the application of science to everyday life |
| 246. telescope | an instrument used to reveal the details of faraway objects |
| 247. temperature | how hot or cold something is |
| 248. tension | a force that pulls or stretches something |
| 249. thermal conductivity | a measure of the ability of a substance to conduct heat |
| 250. thermometer | an instrument used to measure the temperature of matter |
| 251. tidal energy | the energy obtained by harnessing the kinetic energy of the rise and fall of the ocean tides |
| 252. transpiration | the process by which water evaporates through openings in plant leaves |
| 253. tributary | a smaller stream that flows into a larger stream |
| 254. unicellular organism | a living thng made of one cell |
| 255. uplift | the folding of rock upward due to stress between converging plates |
| 256. variable | something that may change in an experiment |
| 257. variations | the differences that exist naturally among the members of a species |
| 258. volcano | an opening in the crust of Earth through which melted rock and gases are released |
| 259. water cycle | the continuous cycling of water among Earth's water bodies, atmosphere, and land |
| 260. watershed | an area of land drained by a river system |
| 261. weather | the condition of the atmosphere at a certain time and place |
| 252. weathering | the process that breaks down rocks into smaller pieces |
| 263. wetland | an area of land that remains wet for all or part of the year |
| 264. wind energy | the energy obtained from moving air |
| 265. wind | moving air |
| 266. work | the product of a force applied to an object and the distance through which the force is applied |
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mstransue
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