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PSSA Vocab part 4
Term | Definition |
---|---|
decomposer | an organism, often microscopic in size, that obtains nutrients by consuming dead organic matter, thereby making nutrients accessible to other organisms; examples of decomposers include fungi, scavengers, rodents, and other animals |
engineering | the application of scientific, physical, mechanical, and mathematical principles to design process, products and structures that improve the quality of life |
allele | any of a set of possible forms of a gene |
ergonomical | of or relating to the design of equipment or devices to fit the human body's control, position, movement, and environment |
enzyme | a protein that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being changed by the reaction; an organic catalyst |
nonpoint source pollution | contamination that originates from many locations that all discharge into a location (e.g., lake, stream, or land area) |
embryology | the branch of biology dealing with the development of living things from fertilized egg to its developed state |
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 |
biochemical conversion | the changing of organic matter into other chemical forms |
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 |
biomass conversion | the changing of organic matter that has been produced by photosynthesis into useful liquid, gas or fuel |
theory of evolution | a theory that has 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 |
incinerating | burning to ashes; reducing to ashes |
hazardous waste | a solid that, because of its quantity or concentration, its physical, chemical, and infectious characteristics, may cause or a substantial present or potential hazard to health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, or disposed of |
biological diversity | the variety and complexity of species present and interacting in an ecosystem and the relative abundance of each |
consumer | those organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms and their remains. A person buying goods or services for personal needs or to use in the production of other goods for resale |
point source pollution | pollutants discharged from a single identifiable location (e.g., pipes, ditches, channels, sewers, tunnels containers of various types |
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 |
science | search for understanding the natural world using inquiry and experimentation |
mitosis | the sequential differentiation and segregation of replicated chromosomes in a cell's nucleus that precedes complete cell division |
radioactive isotope | an atom that gives off nuclear radiation and has the same number or protons (atomic number) as another atom but a different number or neutrons |
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 |
waste stream | the flow of (waste) materials from generation, collection, and separation to disposal |