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Units 1-11
Vocab Review for Units 1-11
Term | Definition |
---|---|
balance | a tool used to measure the amount of matter in an object, which is the object’s mass |
control | the experimental setup to which you will compare all other setups |
evidence | information collected during a scientific investigation |
experiment | an investigation in which all the conditions are controlled to test a hypothesis |
investigation | a procedure carried out to carefully observe, study, or test something in order to learn more about it |
microscopic | too small to be seen without using a microscope |
opinion | a personal belief or judgment based on what a person thinks or feels, but not necessarily based on evidence |
Science | the study of the natural world through observation and investigation |
scientific method | the different ways that scientists perform investigations and collect reliable data |
spring scale | a tool used to measure force |
variable | any condition that can be changed in an experiment |
accurate | in measurements, very close to the actual size or value |
engineering | using knowledge of science and mathematics to find solutions to everyday problems |
technology | any device that people use to meet their needs and solve practical problems |
prototype | a working model |
criteria | standards that help engineers measure how well their design is doing its job |
bioengineering | applying the engineering design process to living things |
biotechnology | a product used to benefit organisms or their environment |
matter | anything that has mass and takes up space |
volume | the amount of space something takes up |
temperature | the measure of the average energy of motion of particles of matter, which we feel as how hot or cold something is |
solid | the state of matter in which a substance has a definite volume and a definite shape |
liquid | the state of matter in which a substance has a definite volume but no definite shape |
gas | the state of matter in which a substance does not have a definite shape or definite volume |
relative density | it determines whether one substance will sink or float in another substance |
solubility | the ability of a substance to dissolve in another substance |
mixture | a combination of two or more different substances in which the substances keep their identities |
solution | a mixture that has the same combination throughout because all its parts are mixed evenly |
force | a push or pull, which may cause a change in an object's motion |
gravity | the force of attraction between objects; such as the attraction between Earth and objects on it |
friction | a force that acts between two touching objects and that opposes motion |
balanced forces | forces that cancel each other out, because they are equal in size and opposite in direction |
unbalanced forces | forces that cause a change in an object's motion because they don't cancel each other out |
energy | the ability to cause changes in matter |
potential energy | energy that an object has because of its position or its condition |
kinetic energy | the energy an object has because of motion |
electrical energy | energy that comes from electric current |
mechanical energy | the total potential and kinetic energy of an object |
chemical energy | energy that can be released by a chemical reaction |
thermal energy | the total amount of kinetic energy of the particles in a substance |
heat | the energy that moves between objects of different temperatures |
static electricity | the buildup of electric charges on an object |
electric current | the flow of electric charges along a path |
conductor | a material that lets heat or electricity travel through it easily |
insulator | a material that does not let heat or electricity move through it easily |
circuit | a path along which electric charges can flow |
series circuit | an electric circuit in which the electrical charges have only one path to follow |
parallel circuit | an electric circuit that has more than one path for the electric charges to follow |
wave | a disturbance that carries energy, such as sound or light, through matter or space |
volume | the loudness of a sound |
pitch | the highness or lowness of a sound |
light | a form of energy that can travel through space and lies partly within the visible range |
electromagnetic spectrum | all energy waves that travel at the speed of light in a vacuum, including radio, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays |
opaque | not allowing light to pass through |
transparent | allows light to pass through |
translucent | allows only some light to pass through |
frequency | a measure of the number of waves that pass a point in a second |
reflection | the bouncing of light waves when they encounter an obstacle |
refraction | the bending of light waves as they pass from one material to another |
prism | a transparent object that bends and separates white light into the colors of the rainbow |
weathering | the breaking down of rocks on Earth's surface into smaller pieces |
erosion | the process of moving sediment from one place to another |
deposition | the dropping or settling of eroded materials |
sedimentary rock | a type of rock that forms when layers of sediment are pressed together |
fossil | the remains or traces of a plant or animal that lived long ago |
mold | an impression of an organism, formed when sediment hardens around the organism |
cast | a model of an organism, formed when sediment fills a mold and hardens |
fossil fuel | fuel, such as coal, oil, natural gas, formed from the remains of once-living things |
index fossil | a fossil of a type of organism that lived in many places during a relatively short time span |
mass extinction | a period in which a large number of species become extinct |
natural resource | anything from nature that people can use |
renewable resource | a resource that can be replaced within a reasonable amount of time |
nonrenewable resource | a resource that, once used, cannot be replaced in a reasonable amount of time |
geothermal energy | a type of energy produced naturally beneath Earth's surface |
hydroelectric energy | energy produced by using the mechanical energy of falling water |
biofuel | a fuel produced by biological materials, such as wood |
pollution | any waste product or contamination that harms or dirties an ecosystem and harms organisms |
conservation | the process of preserving and protecting an ecosystem or a resource |
atmosphere | the mixture of the gases that surround the Earth |
evaporation | the process by which liquid changes into a gas |
condensation | the process by which gas changes into a liquid |
precipitation | water that falls from the clouds to the Earth's surface |
water cycle | the process in which water continuously moves from Earth's surface into the atmosphere and back again |
runoff | water that does not soak into the ground and instead flows across Earth's surface |
climate | the pattern of weather an area experiences over a long period of time |
weather | the condition of the atmosphere at a certain place and time |
climate zone | an area that has similar average temperatures and precipitation throughout |
equator | an imaginary line around the Earth, equally distant from the North and South Poles |
latitude | the measure of how far north or south a place is from the equator |
revolve | to go around, or orbit another object |
orbit | the path of one object in space around another object |
rotate | to spin on an axis |
axis | the imaginary line around which Earth rotates |
star | a huge ball of gases that produces its own light |
satellite | any object that revolves around another object in space |
environment | all the living and nonliving things that surround and affect the organism |
ecosystem | a community of organisms and the environment in which they live |
population | all the organisms of the same kind that live together in an ecosystem |
community | a group of organisms that live in the same area and interact with each other |
habitat | the place where an organism lives and can find everything it needs to survive |