Term | Definition |
Abiotic | Non living |
Acceleration | The change in the rate of change in velocity usually in meters per second squared |
Acid | Low pH, less than 7 |
Active transport | Cell dump but uses ATP energy |
Adaptation | A change in an organism over time because the environment changed |
Adaptive radiation | Spreading and evolution out of a population |
Alleles | Different DNA variants of a gene |
Archaebacteria | One of the three domains of life. Primitive single celled orgs |
Atmosphere | Gas surrounding the earth, mostly nitrogen and oxygen |
ATP | Energy form, adenosine triphosphate |
Atom | "Smallest" particle of an element |
Atomic Number | Number of protons in an atom |
Nucleus | Part of an atom, holds protons and neutrons |
Base | High pH , greater than 7 |
Big Bang Theory | A TV show. Also theory how universe was created |
Binary fission | how bacteria (prokaryotes) reproduce by splitting in half |
Biodiversity | How many species are in an area. More is bettter |
Biome | Major type of ecological community |
Biotechnology | Usually DNA and genes |
Biotic | Living |
Boiling point | Temperature |
Cell | basic unit of life, |
Cell membrane | What surrounds a cell |
Cell theory | 1 2 3 Cells from cells, living = cells, cells basic part of organisms |
Cell wall | plants strong gives support to plants |
Cellular respiration | How cells use or release the energy in sugar to do stuff |
Chemical change | When chemical compounds react to form a new compound |
Chemical reaction | When chemical compounds react to form a new compound |
Chromosome | DNA in the cell carries the genetic information |
Classification | Arranging organisms into groups and naming them. |
Climate | Average weather conditions |
Commensalism | Two organisms together, one benefits the other doesn't care |
Community | All the different species in a defined area |
Compound | substance with two or more elements at a fixed ratio H2O CO2 |
Conduction | Heat or electricity transmitted thru something |
Conservation of mass | matter is neither created nor destroyed |
Consumer | who you see at Wal Mart.
Organism that earns its living feeding on another |
COntrol group | In an experiment, group used for comparison, everything kept constant |
Convection | Circular movement of heat, fluid etc like under the earth surface or in the atmosphere |
Convergent plate boundaries | Where tectonic plates converge - mountains form or deep ocean trenches |
COre | center of the earth hot iron or nickel |
Covalent bond | Shared electrons |
Crust | Outer layer of rock on earth |
Cytoplasm | Main part of a cell, fluid (cytosol) plus organelles |
Data | A recorded observation |
Divergent Plate boundary | Where tectonic plates pull apart |
Decomposers | bacteria fungi eat or break dead organisms |
Density | mass over volume (g per cm3) or (g per mL) |
Dependent variable | In an experiment, the variable whose response is not known or determined ahead of time. |
DNA | De oxy ribo nuclei acid
Watson and Crick
Genetic material |
Dominant trait | If you have one allele of a dominant trait, you show it. |
Ecosystem | Community of organisms and their evironment |
Electricity | Form of energy |
Electromagnetic radiation | Waves of energy
Light xrays radio waves and others |
Electron | Subatomic particle
orbits around nucleus |
Element | Atoms of one kind, their all the same |
Endoplasmic reticulum | An organelle
Transport proteins in cell |
Endothermic | A reaction that absorbs energy (heat( |
Energy | Ability to do work |
Equilibrium | when oppposite forces are equal |
Ethical guideline | rules governing acceptable limits on experiments. |
Eukaryotic cells | Cells with membrane covered organelles and a nucleus |
Evolution | Genetic change in a population over time |
Exothermic | Reaction releasing heat |
Experiment | What we do to test an hypothesis |
Fermentation | no air, energy production like yeast, makes alcohol |
Fission | Splitting of atomic nucleus
Releases energy, Regular atomic bomb |
Folding | Bending the earths crust to create mountains |
Food chain | Arrangement of organisms in an ecosystem showing who eats who. |
Force | What gets applied to an object to move it |
Fossil | Impression of traces of long dead organisms |
Friction | Rubbing Force that resists continual motion of objects |
Fusion | Joining of two atomic nuclei to form heavier nuclei like in the Sun.
H Bomb |
Gas | State of matter, particles are spread apart |
Gene | Sequence of DNA bases on a chromosome that codes for a protein |
Genetic drift | gene changes in a small population |
Genotype | Genetic make up of an individual |
Golgi Complex | Organelle
Package molecules |
Gravitational potential energy | Stored energy
Height and mass |
Gravity | Attracive force between two object
mass divided by distance squared |
Heliocentric theory | Earth circles sun |
Heredity | Characteristics from ancestors, based on genes |
Heterozygous | 2 different genes for a trait |
Homeostasis | Process by which organisms maintain internal conditions |
Homologous chromosomes | A pair of chromosomes that govern the same trait |
Homozygous | Having the same two copies of a gene |
Hydrosphere | All water on Earth |
Hypothesis | An informed possible and testable explanation of an observation |
Igneous rock | Rock from volcanic orgin
from cooled magma or lava |
Independent variable | The one a scientist changes to see what happens |
Ion | An atom that has gained or lost electrons |
Isotope | A form of an element with extra neutrons which makes its mass bigger |
Kinetic energy | energy of motion
KE = 1/2 mv2 |
Lithosphere | Crust and mantle of earth
70 miles thick |
Magma | Molten rock |
Mantle | Earth's layer underground but not the core or crust |
mass | the amount of matter of an object
proportional to weight |
Matter | has mass, occupies volume |
Meiosis | sex cells dividing in half
Allows more variation |
Metamorphic rock | sedimentary or igneous rock that hss changed |
Metal | Most of the element
Shiny, hard, ductile
Conduct electricity |
Mitochondria | Organelle
Converts energy (cellular respiration) |
Mitosis | Cell division to get 2 copies |
Mixture | two or more compounds hanging out together but not chemically connected |
Molecule | Atoms joined by covalent bonding |
Mutation | Inherited change in the DNA sequence |
Mutualism | 2 organisms hanging out together and both get something out of if |
Natural selection | Individuals having favorable adaptations will produce more surviving offspring and over time those traits increase in a population |
Neutron | One of the parts of an atom |
Newtons law of motion | 1 - things at rest stay at rest & vice versa
2 F = ma
3 equal & opposite forces for every action |
Nucleus | Inner core of an atom
Has protons and neutrons
In a cell - contains the DNA |
Organelles | Structures in a cell like mitochondria |
Parasite | You know what this is |
periodic Table | Table showing data for all the elements
Organized by similar elements |
pH Scale | Acid is less than 7
Basic is greater than 7
Neutral is 7 |
Photosynthesis | conversion by plants of CO2 + H2O into sugar |
Plate tectonic theory | Earths lithosphere composed of giant sliding plates |
predator | Organism that eats prey |
Producer | Organism that produces its own food |
Prokaryotic cells | Primitive, older cells like bacteria
No nucleus |
Proton | Part of an atom
Has mass and charge |
Radiation | Waves of energy |
Radioactive decay | When an unstable nucleus decays, emits subatomic particles and radiation |
Radiometric dating | To find age of rocks using radioactive elements |
Reactant | in a chemical reaction, one of the things on the left that changes |
Recessive trait | Trait that is seen if only two copies of its DNA is present |
Reflection | Bouncing back of light heat or sound after hitting a surface |
Refraction | Bending of light rays or of an energy wave
Due to a change in the speed of the wave |
Scientific investigation | What scientists do when they are doing science.
Obs/Hypothesis/design/get data/report etc |
Scientific knowledge | The accumulation of results of scientific work |
Sedimentary rock | Rock created by deposition of sediments like sand silt gravel from erosion |
Seismic waves | waves of energy from earthquakes |
SOlid | State of matter
Closely packed atoms, definite density & shape |
Solution | Homogeneous mixture
One evenly mixed in the other |
Sound waves | Mechanical radiant energy waves |
Species | A group of organisms capable of mating and producing offspring |
Speciation | The process of making a new species |
Star | Object in space
Uses nuclear fusion |
Subduction zone | Where one tectonic plate goes under a lighter plate |
Substance | Form of matter with uniform chemical structure
Elements, oompounds |
Technology | Using scientific knowledge to meet human needs |
Temperature | Measure of average kinetic energy of an object |
Theory | Possible explanation of observations and data
Usually has many confirming examples |
Thermal energy | Heat based on the movement of particles |
Tides | Cyclical rising and falling of oceans |
Trait | Inherited characteristic |
Variable | A quantity that can change |
Velocity | The rate of change of an objects position over time |
Water cycle | Atmospheric vapor to precipitation into ground or lakes/oceans then back to atmosphere via evaporation & transpiration |
Wave | Vibration carrying energy
Seismic sound light |