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Vocabulary 3.1
Science Vocabulary 3.1
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| water cycle | The continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back. |
| evaporation | A process at which molecules at the surface of a liquid absorb enough energy to change to the gaseous state. |
| condensation | Water vapor cools and becomes a liquid. |
| precipitation | When water in the form of ice, rain, sleet, hail, or snow, falls to Earth. |
| transpiration | The water that plants give off as part of their respiratory process (they "breathe" in carbon dioxide and "breathe" out oxygen - in this process, they also make water). |
| runoff | When precipitation hits the ground, it is either absorbed, or it flows over the surface of the Earth. |
| water vapor | Water in its gas form. |
| groundwater | Water that is in the ground. |
| States of Matter | The physical forms of matter, which include solid, liquid, and gas. |
| solid | A state of matter that has a definite shape and a definite volume; when water is in this state, it is because its temperature is below the freezing point and the water molecules are close together. |
| liquid | A state of matter that has a definite volume but no definite shape; when water is in this state, is above the freezing point and the water molecules are not quite as close together. |
| gas | A state of matter with no definite shape or volume; when water is in this state, it is called "water vapor," and you cannot see it; the temperatures are warm; water molecules are farther apart. |
| hail | Ice pellets larger than 5 millimeters in diameter formed in cumulonimbus clouds by strong updrafts of wind. |
| sleet | Clear ice pellets precipitation, forms when rain falls through layer of freezing air. |
| snow | A solid form of precipitation composed of ice crystals in complex hexagonal form. |
| rain | Liquid precipitation. |
| climate graph | Consists of two Y axis's and an x axis. |
| yearly seasons | Winter, Summer, Autumn and Spring |
| weather | The daily conditions of the atmosphere in terms of temperature, atmospheric pressure, cloud cover, wind, and moisture. |
| climate | The weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period. |