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Science Vocab Final
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Atom | the smallest particle of an element that still retains the properties of the element |
| Nucleus | Positively charged center of an atom that contains protons and neutrons and is surrounded by a cloud of electrons |
| Proton | particle, composed of quarks, inside the nucleus of an atom that has a charge of 1 |
| Neutron | neutral particle, composed of quarks, inside the nucleus of an atom |
| Electron | particles surrounding the center of an atom that have a charge of 1- |
| Quark | particles of matter that make up protons and neutrons. |
| Electron cloud | Area around the nucleus of an atom where the atom’s electrons are most likely to be found. |
| Atomic number: | number of protons in an atom’s nucleus |
| Mass number: | Sum of the number of protons and neutrons in an atom’s nucleus |
| Isotope | atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons. |
| Average atomic mass: | weighted-average mass of the mixture of an element’s isotopes |
| Periodic table | organized list of all known elements that are arranged by increasing atomic number and by changes in chemical and physical properties. |
| Group | vertical column in the periodic table |
| Electron dot diagram | uses the symbol for an element and dots representing the number of electrons in the element’s outer energy level |
| Period | the amount of time it takes one wavelength to pass a fixed point; expressed in seconds. (p. 295); horizontal row in the periodic table. ( |
| Light-year | The distance light travels in a year, about 9.5 trillion kilometers |
| Apparent magnitude: | The brightness of a star when viewed from Earth |
| Absolute magnitude: | The apparent brightness of a star if it were viewed from light-years used to compare the true brightness of stars |
| Hertzsprung-Russell diagram | See H-R diagram |
| Main-sequence star: | A star that falls into the main-sequence category on the H-R diagram category contains the majority of stars and runs diagonally from the upper left to the lower right on the H-R diagram |
| Binary star | One of two stars revolving around a common center of mass under their mutual gravitational attraction |
| Cepheid variable | A star whose brightness varies periodically because it expands and contracts; a type of pulsating star |
| Nova | A star that explosively increases in brightness |
| Protostar | A collapsing cloud of gas and dust destined to become a star; a developing star not yet hot enough to engage in nuclear fusion |
| Supernova | An exploding star that increases in brightness many thousands of times |
| Pulsar | A variable radio source of small size that emits radio pulses in a very regular variable |
| Black hole | A massive star that has collapsed to such a small volume that its gravity prevents the escape of everything, including light |
| Galaxy | A group of stars, dust, and gases held together by gravity |
| Hubble’s law | A law that states that the galaxies are receding from the Milky way at a speed that is proportional to their distance |
| Big Bang Theory | The theory that proposes that the universe originated as a single mass, which subsequently exploded |
| Mechanical weathering: | the physical disintegration of rock, resulting in smaller fragments |
| Chemical weathering: | the processes by which the internal structure of a mineral is altered by the removal and or addition of elements |
| Exfoliation | The type of weathering caused by reducing pressure on a rock surface, allowing slabs of outer rock to break off in layers |
| Regolith | the layer of rock and mineral fragments that nearly everywhere covers Earth’s surface |
| Soil profile | a vertical section through a soil showing its succession of horizons and the underlying parent material |
| Mass movement: | the downslope movement of rock, regolith, and soil under the direct influence of gravity |
| Water Cycle | the constant movement of water among the oceans, the atmosphere, geosphere, and the biosphere |
| Infiltration | The movement of surface water into rock or soil through cracks and pore spaces |
| Meander | a looplike bend in the course of a stream |
| Capacity | the total amount of sediment a stream is able to transport |
| Porosity | the volume of open spaces in rock or soil |
| Permeability | a measure of a material’s ability to transmit fluids |
| Erosion | the incorporation and transportation of material by a mobile agent, such as water, wind, or ice |
| Groundwater | water underground in the zone of saturation water table: the upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater |
| Troposphere | Lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere where most weather occurs and temperature normally decreases with height |
| Temperature inversion | An increase of temperature with height, resulting in very stable air that resists the rising needed for cloud formation or dispersal of air pollution |
| Greenhouse effect | Atmospheric warning involving heat absorption by trace gases such as carbon dioxide and water vapor |
| Latent heat | energy used to melt snow or evaporate water |
| Westerlies | Global winds that blow from the west in the middle lattitudes |
| Jet Streams | High-speed powerful air current that affects many weater processes, such as the development of storms |
| Subtropical high | Persistent, relatively stationary, high pressure system |
| Weather Front | Zones in which air masses interact |
| Biosphere | everything organic, including plants, animals, and humans |
| Continental Climate | Climate with little direct ocean influence and steep temperature gradients |
| Naritime Climate | Climate with a strong ocean influence and milder temperatures |
| Lee rain Shawdow | Area of reduced precipitation on one side of a mountain range |
| Global warming | Increased atmospheric heating from activities such as fossil fuel burning, which have increased air pollution and concentrate modified the water and carbon cycles |
| El Nino | A warming of the Pacific Ocean every three to five years, which dramatically alters worldwide weather patterns and occur near the equator |
| La Nina | Climatic phenomenon that occus when Pacific trade winds are very strong and temperatures colder than normal; the opposite of El Nino |
| Mid-Ocean ridge | A continuous sytem of twin mountain ranges with a rift valley between them that extends around the Earth on the seafloor; formed where two oceanic plates are forces apart due to magma rising from Earth's mantle; a source of new rock |
| Rift Valley | Long, linear, dropped-down valley between twin, parallel mountain ranges produced by faulting |
| Divergent boundary | Plate tectonic boundary where lithosphere plates are moving apart |
| Convergent boundary | Plate tectonic boundary where lithosphere plates are moving apart |
| Subduction | Occus when lithospheric plates coverge and the edge of one plate is forced downward beneath another; it recycles old lithosphere |
| Tranform boundary | A plate tectonic boundary that exists as a large fault, or crack, along which lithosheric plates move direction |
| Fault | Crack in Earth's curst along which movement has taken place |
| Elastic rebound | Sudden energy release that accompanies fault movement and causes earthquakes, or seismic vibrations |
| Focus | Point of origin of an earthquake |
| Epicenter | Point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus |
| Discountinuity | Boundary marking an abrupt density change between Earth's layers |
| Asthenosphere | Weaker, semi-soild, plastic like layer beneath earth's lithosphere on which lithosphere plates move |
| Viscosity | A fluid;s resistance to flow |
| Accuracy | compares a measurement to the real or accepted value |
| Bias | Occurs when a scientist’s expectations change how the results of an experiment are viewed |
| Density | mass per unit volume of a material |
| Dependent Variable | a factor that changes as a result of changes in the other variables |
| Hypothesis | an educated guess using what you know and what you observe |
| Independent Variable: | a factor that, as it changes, affects the measure of another variable |
| Mass: | amount of matter in an object |
| Model | can be used to represent an idea, object, or event that is too big, too small, too complex, or too dangerous to observe or test directly |
| Precision | describes how closely measurements are to each other and how carefully the measurements were made |
| Scientific Law | a statement about what happens in nature that seems to be true all the time; it does not explain why or how something happens. |
| Scientific Method | an organized set of investigation procedures that can include stating a problem, forming a hypothesis, researching and gathering information, testing a hypothesis, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions |
| Theory | an explanation of things or events that is based on knowledge gained from many observations and investigations. |
| Volume | the amount of space occupied by an object |
| Agricultural biotechnology | scientific techniques, such as genetic engineering, used to increase farm crop yields and nutritional values of foods by creating, modifying, or improving plants, animals, and microorganisms. |
| Engineer | a researcher who uses scientific information or ideas to solve problems or human needs and bring technology to consumers. |
| Computer simulation: | a performance-testing method using a computer to imitate the process or procedure or to gather data |
| Pilot plant | scaled-down version of real production equipment that closely models actual manufacturing conditions and is used to test a new manufacturing process. |
| Constraints | design limitations placed on products by outside factors, such as available materials, cost, and environmental impact |
| Prototype | first full-scale model built to performance-test a new product. |
| Society | a group of people who share similar values and beliefs. |
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