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ES_CH2
Environmental Science: Chapter 2 Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Science | An endeavor to discover how nature works and to use that knowledge to make predictions about what is likely to happen in nature |
| Data | Information needed to answer scientific questions |
| Experiments | Procedures carried out under controlled conditions to gather information and test ideas |
| Scientific Hypothesis | A possible and testable explanation of what scientists observe in nature or in the results of their experiments |
| Model | An approximate representation or simulation of system being studied |
| Scientific Theory | A well-tested or widely accepted scientific hypothesis or a group of related hypothesis |
| Peer Review | When scientists report details of the methods and models the used, the results of the experiment, and the reasoning behind their hypotheses for other scientists working in the same field to examine and criticize |
| Inductive Reasoning | Using specific observations and measurements to arrive at a general conclusion or hypothesis |
| Deductive Reasoning | Using logic to arrive at a specific hypothesis based on a generalization or premise |
| Scientific Law (Law of Nature) | A well-tested and widely accepted description of what we find happening over and over again in nature |
| Paradigm Shift | When new discoveries and new ideas overthrow a well-accepted scientific theory or law |
| Tentative Science (Frontier Science) | Preliminary results that have not yet been widely tested and accepted by peer review |
| Reliable Science | Consists of data, hypotheses, that are widely accepted by scientists who are considered experts in the field under study |
| Unreliable Science | Scientific hypotheses and results that are presented as reliable without having undergone the rigors of peer review, or that have been discarded as a result of peer review |
| Matter | Anything that has mass and takes up space |
| Elements | A fundamental substance that has a unique set of properties and cannot be broken down into simper substances by chemical means |
| Compounds | Combinations of two or more different elements held together by fixed proportions |
| Atom | The smallest unit of matter into which an element can be divided and still maintain its chemical properties |
| Atomic Theory | The idea that all elements are made up of atoms (Most widely accepted scientific theory) |
| Protons | Positively charged particles |
| Electrons | Negatively charged particles |
| Neutrons | Neutrally charged particles |
| Nucleus | The extremely small and dense center of an atom |
| Atomic Number | Equal to the number of protons in the nucleus |
| Mass Number | The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus |
| Ion | An atom or group of atoms with one or more net positive or negative electrical charge |
| Acidity | A chemical characteristic that helps determine how a substance dissolved in water will interact with and affect its environment |
| pH | A measure of acidity based on the amount of H+ and OH+ contained in a volume of solution |
| Molecule | A combination of two or more atoms of the same or different elements held together by chemical bonds |
| Chemical Formula | Used to show the number of each type of atom or ion in a compound |
| Organic Compound | They contain at least two carbon atoms combined with atoms or one or more other elements |
| Inorganic Compound | All other compounds (Excluding organic) |
| Cells | The fundamental structural units of life |
| Genes | Certain sequences of nucleoids inside some DNA cells |
| Trait | Characteristic |
| Chromosome | Special DNA molecules together with a number of proteins |
| Matter Quality | A measure of how useful a form of matter is to humans as a resource, based on its availability and concentration |
| High-quality Matter | Highly concentrated, is typically found near the earth's surface, and has great potential as a use for a resource |
| Physical Change | When a sample of matter's chemical composition does not change |
| Chemical Change (Chemical Reaction) | There is a change in the arrangement of atoms or ions within molecules of the substance involved |
| Nuclear Change | Changes in the nuclei of a substances atoms (Three types) |
| Radioactive Isotopes (Radioisotopes) | Unstoppable isotopes |
| Natural Radioactive Decay | Isotopes spontaneously emit subatomic particles, high energy radiation, or both |
| Nuclear Fission | A nuclear change in which the nucleus of certain isotopes with larger mass numbers are split apart into lighter nuclei when struck by neutrons |
| Nuclear Fussion | A nuclear change in which two isotopes of lighter elements are forced together at extremely high temperatures until they fuse to form a heavier nucleus |
| Law of Conservation of Matter | Matter cannot be created nor destroy, only changed |
| Energy | The capacity to do work or transfer heat |
| Kinetic Energy | When moving matter has mass and velocity |
| Heat | The total kinetic energy of all moving atoms, ions, or molecules within a given substance |
| Electromagnetic Radiation | When energy travels in the form of a wave as a result of changes in electric and magnetic fields |
| Potential Energy | Energy stored and potentially available for use |
| Energy Quality | A measure of an energy source's capacity to do useful work |
| High-Quality Energy | Concentrated and has a high capacity to do useful work |
| Low-Quality Energy | Dispersed and had little capacity to do useful work |
| Law of Conservation of Energy (First Law of Thermodynamics) | Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only changed |
| Second Law of Thermodynamics | When energy changes from one form to another, we always end up with lower-quality or less useable energy than we started with |
| Energy Efficiency (Energy Productivity) | A measuer of how much useful work is accomplished by a particular input of energy into a system |
| System | A set of components that function and interact in some regular way |
| Input | What goes in |
| Flow (Throughputs) | What goes through |
| Output | What comes out |
| Feedback | Any process that increases or decreases a change to a system |
| Feedback Loop | When an output of matter, energy, or information is fed back into the system as an input and leads to changes in that system |
| Negative Feedback Loop | Causes a system to change in the opposite direction from which it is moving |
| Tipping Point | When an environmental problem reaches its threshold level |
| Synergistic Interaction (Synergy) | When two or more processes interact so that the combined effect is greater than the sum of their separate effects |
Created by:
kctwirler1
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