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chapter 3 vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| matter | any material that has mass and occupies space |
| atoms | the basic unit of matter |
| element | a chemical substance with a unique set of properties that cannot be broken down into substances with other properties |
| nucleus | the central core of an atom |
| compound | a substance combining atoms of two or more different elements |
| hydrocarbon | an organic compound combining hydrogen and carbon |
| solution | a mixture in which all the ingredients are equally distributed |
| macromolecule | a large organic molecule |
| protein | an organic compound made up of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur |
| nucleic acid | the macromolecule that carries hereditary information |
| carbohydrate | an organic compound that consists of atoms or carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen |
| lipid | chemically diverse compound that does not dissolve in water |
| pH | a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance |
| feedback loop | a circular process that describes how an event is both a cause and an effect in the same system; can be a positive feedback loop or a negative feedback loop |
| erosion | the removal of soil by water, wind, ice, or gravity |
| geosphere | all of the rock at and below earth's surface |
| lithosphere | sphere of Earth made up of the hard rock on and just below Earth's surface; the outermost layer of both Earth and its geosphere |
| biosphere | the earth and all of its organisms and environments |
| atmosphere | the thin layer of gases that surrounds earth |
| hydrosphere | all of the water, in the form of liquid, ice, or vapor, above and below earth's surface and in the atmosphere |