Question | Answer |
abiotic factor | any non living part of the environment, water, sunlight etc. |
abrasion | a form of erosion that occurs when wind blows sediment into rocks, makes pits in rock and produces smooth, polished surfaces |
absolute magnitude | measure of the amount of light the star actually gives off |
abyssal plain | flat sea floor area form 4,000 t0 6,000 m below the ocean surface |
acceleration | equals the change in velocity divided by the time. An object speeds up, slows down or changes direction |
acid rain | damaging rain or snow formed when gases released by burning oil and coal mix with water in the air |
actinides | the second series of inner transition element which goes from thorium to lawrencium |
air resistance | a contact force that acts to slow objects that are moving in the air |
alkali metal | element in group 1 of the periodic table |
allele | an alternate form that a gene may have for a single trait, can be dominant or recessive |
amniotic sac | thin, liquid-filled, protective membrane that forms around the embryo |
alkaline earth metal | group 2 in the periodic table |
apparent magnitude | measure of the amount of light from a star received in earth |
archimedes principle | states that the buoyant fore on an object is equal to the weight of the fluid placed on the object |
asexual reproduction | type of reproduction in which a new organism is produced from one organism and has DNA identical to the parent organism |
average speed | total distance over the time taken to travel the distance |
balanced forces | two or more forces that cancel when they combine and make the net force equal to zero |
benthos | marine plants and animals that live on or in the ocean floor |
biosphere | part of earth that supports life |
biotic factor | any living or once living organism in the environment |
black hole | final stage in the evolution of a very massive star, where he core's mass collapses o a point that it's gravity is so strong that not even light can escape |
buoyant force | upward force exerted on and object immersed in a fluid |
carrier wave | radio waves broadcast by a radio or TV station at an assigned frequency that contains info. used to produce pictures and sound |
catalyst | substance that can make something happen faster without changing itself |
chemical bond | force that holds two atoms together |
chemical weathering | process in which he chemical composition of a rock is changed by agents such as natural acids and oxygen |
chemosynthesis | food making process using sulfur or nitrogen compound, rather than light energy from the sun, that is used by bacteria near hydro thermal vents |
chromosome | structure in a cell's nucleus that contains hereditary material |
comet | space object made of dust and rock particles mixed with frozen water, methane, and ammonia that form a bright coma as it approaches the sun |
conductor | material that transfers heat easily |
constellation | pattern of stars that is named as a group and forms and image or shape |
continental shelf | gradually sloping end of a continent that exists beneath the ocean |
continental slope | ocean basin feature that dips steeply down from he continental shelf |
corona | outer most layer of the sun's atmosphere |
covalent bond | chemical bond formed when two atoms share electrons |
creep | process by which sediments move slowly downhill |
deflation | erosion of land that occurs when wind blows across loose sediment and carries hem away, often leaving behind particles too heavy to move |
density | mass of an object divided by volume |
diploid | cell whose similar chromosomes occur in pairs |
DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid; genetic material of all organisms |
dominant | describes a trait that dominates another form of that trait |
ecology | study of all the interaction among organisms and their environment |
egg | haploid sex cell formed in the female reproductive organs |
electro magnetic radiation | energy transferred from place to place by electromagnetic waves |
electron dot diagram | chemical symbol for and element, surrounded bay as many dot as there are electrons in the outer energy levels |
entropy | the measure of the disorder in a system |
erosion | the wearing away and removal of rock material that occurs by agents such as gravity, ice, wind and water |
estuary | are where a river meet the ocean |
evolution | change in inherited characteristics over time |
fault | large fracture in a rock along which movement occurs |
fertilization | joining of sperm and egg |
fetal stress | can occur durn the birth process or just after birth as and infant adjusts form watery dark constant temp. to a new environment |
fetus | a developing baby after the first two months of pregnancy until birth |
folded mountain | mountain that forms by folding rock layer caused by compressive forces |
force | push or pull that one object exerts on another |
frond | leaf of a fern that grows from he rhizome |
gametophyte | plant life cycle stage that begins when cells in reproductive organisms undergo meiosis and produce haploid cells |
gamma ray | highest frequencies shortest wave lengths |
gene | section o DNA on a chromosome that contains instructions for making specific proteins |
genetics | the study of how traits are inherited through the actions of alleles |
genotype | the genetic makeup of an organism |
germination | a series of events that results in the growth of a plant from a seed |
giant | late stage of life of a comparatively low-mass main sequence star in which hydrogen in the core is deleted, the core contracts, and temperature inside the star increase, causing its outer layers to expand and cool |
great red spot | giant, high pressure storm in jupiter's atmosphere |
halogen | group 17 in the periodic table |
heredity | the passing of traits from parent to offspring |
heterozygous | organism that has two different alleles for a trait |
homologous | body part that are similar in structure and origin and can be similar in function |
infer | draw conclusion based on info. |
instantaneous speed | the speed f and object at one instant time |
ion | and atom that is no longer neutral because it has gained or lost and electron |
ionic bond | attraction that hold oppositely charge ions close together |
isostasy | principal statin that earth's lithosphere float on plastic-like upper part o the mantle called the asthenosphere |
law of conservation of momentum | the total momentum of h e group remains constant unless and outside force acts on the group |
mass movement | occurs when gravity alone causes a rock or sediment to move down slope |
mechanical weathering | process that breaks rocks down into smaller pieces without changing them chemically |
metallic bond | bond formed when metal atoms share their pooled electrons |
metalloid | element that shares some properties with both metal and non metals |
meteor | meteoroid that burns up in earths atmosphere |
meteorite | meteoroid that hits the surface of a moon or planet |
mid-ocean ridge | area where new ocean floor is formed when lava erupts through the cracks in Earth's crust |
molecule | neutral particle formed when atoms share electrons |
momentum | a measure of how hard its to stop an object |
net force | combination of all forces acting on an object |
newton's first law of motion | it ht net force acting on an object is 0 the , an objet will remain at rest or stay in a straight line |
newton's second law of motion | the acceleration of an object equals net force over mass |
newton's third law | for every action there is a reaction |
niche | role of an organism in the ecosystem |
ore | mineral source that can be mined at profit |
Pascal's Principle | when a force is applied to a confined fluid, and increase in pressure is transmitted to all parts of the fluid |
period | horizontal row of elements |
phenotype | outward physical appearance and behavior of an organism as a result of t genotype |
physical science | study of matter |
polar bond | bond resulting from unequal sharing of electrons |
polygenic inheritance | when a group of gene pair acts together and produces a specific trait, such as human eye color, skin color, or height |
punnett square | a tool to predict the probability of certain traits in offspring tha show the different ways alleles can combine |
radiation | transfer of energy by electro magnetic waves |
radio waves | lowest frequencies longest wave lengths |
recessive | trait that is covered or dominated by another trait |
rhizome | underground stem |
RNA | ribonucleic acid, a type of nucleic acid that carries codes for making proteins from the nucleus to the ribosomes |
scientific law | a rule that describes a pattern in nature |
scientific theory | a possible explanation for repeatedly observed patterns in nature supported by observation |
slump | occurs when a mass of rock sediment moves down hill along a curved surface |
speed | distance traveled over time |
subduction | plate movement that occurs when one plate sinks beneath another plate |
surface tension | uneven forces acting on the particles on the surface of a liquid |
thermal energy | kinetic plus potential |
vaporization | liquid to gas |
velocity | displacement over time |
viscosity | liquids resistance to float |
weathering | natural mechanic or chemical process that causes rock to change by breaking them down and causing theme to crumble |
weight | size of gravitational force exerted on an object |