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APES 2012 Intro
Vocabulary for the Introduction Unit
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| abiotic | nonliving |
| accuracy | how close a measured value is to the actual or true value |
| acid | a substance that contributes hydrogen ions to a solution |
| anthropogenic | derived from human activities |
| atom | the smallest particle that can contain the chemical properties of an element |
| atomic number | the number of protons in the nucleus of a particular element |
| background extinction rate | the average rate at which species become extinct over the long term |
| base | a substance that contributes hydroxide ions to a solution |
| biodiversity | the diversity of life forms in an environment |
| biophilia | an appreciation for life |
| biotic | living |
| capillary action | a property of water that occurs when adhesion of water molecules to a surface is stronger than cohesion between the molecules |
| carbohydrate | a compound composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms with the general formula Cx(H20)y; sugars and starches |
| catalyst | any substance that causes or speeds up a chemical reaction without itself undergoing a permanent chemical change |
| cell | a highly organized living entity that consists of the four types of macromolecules and other substances in a watery solution, surrounded by a membrane |
| chemical energy | potential energy stored in chemical bonds |
| closed system | a system in which matter and energy exchanged do not occur across boundaries |
| compound | a molecule containing more than one element |
| law of conservation of matter | a law of nature stating that matter cannot be created or destroyed |
| control group | in a scientific investigation, a group that experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group, except for the single variable under study |
| covalent bond | the bond formed when elements share electrons |
| critical thinking | the process of questioning the source of information, considering the methods used to obtain the information, and drawing conclusions; essential to all scientific endeavor |
| deductive reasoning | the process of applying a general statement to specific facts or situations |
| development | improvement in human well-being through economic advancement |
| DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) | a nucleic acid, the genetic material that contains the code for reproducing the components of the next generation, and which organisms pass on to their offspring |
| ecological footprint | a measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed in area of land |
| ecosystem | a particular location on Earth distinguished by its mix of interacting biotic and abiotic components |
| ecosystem service | the process by which natural environments provide life-supporting resources |
| electromagnetic radiation | a form of energy emitted by the Sun that includes, but is not limited to, visible light, ultraviolet light, and infrared energy |
| element | a substance composed of atoms that cannot be broken down into smaller, simpler components |
| energy | the ability to do work or transfer heat |
| energy efficiency | the ratio of the amount of work done to the total amount of energy introduced to the system |
| energy quality | the ease with which an energy source can be used for work |
| entropy | randomness in a system |
| environment | the sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life |
| environmental indicator | an indicator that describes the current state of an environmental system |
| environmental justice | a social movement and field of study that focuses on equal enforcement of environmental laws and eliminating disparities in the exposure of environmental harms to different ethnic and socioeconomic groups within a society |
| environmental science | the field of study that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature |
| environmental studies | the field of study that includes environmental science, environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics, among others |
| environmentalist | a person who participates in environmentalism, a social movement that seeks to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, and education |
| feedback loop | an adjustment in input or output rates caused by a change in the system |
| greenhouse gas | a gas in Earth's atmosphere that traps heat near the surface |
| half-life | the time it takes for one-half of a sample of an original radioactive parent atom to decay |
| hydrogen bond | a weak chemical bond that forms when hydrogen atoms that are covalently bonded to one atom are attracted to another atom on another molecule |
| hypothesis | a testable theory or supposition about how something works |
| inductive reasoning | the process of making general statements from specific facts or examples |
| inorganic compound | a compound that does not contain the element carbon or contains carbon bound to elements other than hydrogen |
| input | an addition to a system |
| ionic bond | a chemical bond between two oppositely charged ions |
| isotope | an atom of the same element with a different number of neutrons |
| joule | the amount of energy used when a one-watt electrical device is turned on for one second |
| kinetic energy | the energy of motion |
| lipid | a smaller organic biological molecule that does not mix with water; fats, oils, waxes, and steroids, and related compounds |
| mass | a measurement of the amount of matter an object contains |
| mass number | a measurement of the total number of protons and neutrons in an element |
| matter | anything that occupies space and has mass |
| molecule | a particle containing more than one atom |
| natural experiment | a natural event that acts as an experimental treatment of an ecosystem |
| natural law | a theory for which there is no known exception and that has withstood rigorous testing |
| negative feedback loop | a feedback loop in which a system responds to a change by returning to its original state, or by decreasing the rate at which the change is occurring |
| nucleic acid | an organic compound found in all living cells, which form in long chains to make DNA and RNA |
| null hypothesis | a statement or idea that can be falsified, or proved wrong |
| open system | a system in which exchanges of matter or energy occur across system boundaries |
| organic compound | a compound that contains carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds |
| output | a loss from a system |
| periodic table | a chart of all chemical elements currently known, organized by their properties |
| pH | the number indicating the strength of acids and bases on a scale of 0 to 14, where 7 is neutral, a value below 7 is acidic, and a value above 7 is basic (alkaline) |
| photon | a massless packet of energy that carries electromagnetic radiation at the speed of light |
| polar molecule | a molecule in which one side is more positive and the other side is more negative |
| positive feedback loop | a feedback loop in which change in a system is amplified |
| potential energy | stored energy that has not been released |
| power | the rate at which work is done |
| precision | how close the repeated measurements of a sample are to one another |
| protein | a long chain of nitrogen-containing organic molecules known as amino acids, critical to living organisms for structural support, energy storage, internal transport, and defense against foreign substances |
| radioactive decay | the spontaneous release of material from the nucleus of radioactive isotopes |
| replication | the data collection procedure of taking repeated measurements |
| RNA (ribonucleic acid) | a nucleic acid that translates the code stored in DNA and allows for the synthesis of proteins |
| sample size | (n) the number of times a measurement is replicated in the data collection process |
| scientific method | an objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or changes |
| speciation | the evolution of new species |
| species | a group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in its morphology, behavior, or biochemical properties |
| steady state | a state in which inputs equal outputs, so that the system is not changing over time |
| surface tension | a property of water that results form the cohesion of water molecules at the surface of a body of water and creates a sort of skin on the water's surface |
| sustainability | living on Earth in a way that allows humans to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources |
| sustainable development | development that balances current human well-being and economic advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations |
| systems analysis | an analysis to determine inputs, outputs, and changes in a system under various conditions |
| temperature | the measure of the average kinetic energy of a substance |
| theory | a hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers and has reached wide acceptance |
| the first law of thermodynamics | a law of nature stating that energy can neither be created nor destroyed |
| the second law of thermodynamics | the law stating that when energy is transformed, the quantity of energy remains the same, but its ability to do work diminishes |
| uncertainty | an estimate of how much a measured or calculated value differs from a true value |
Created by:
LepperD
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