Science Exam Definitions
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- Proton
- A subatomic particle found within the nucleus with a positive charge
- Condensation
- the process in the water cycle in which evaporated water forms tiny droplets in clouds
- Insulators
- a substance that allows for slow energy transfer
- The 4 States of Matter
- solid, liquid, gas, plasma
- Hypothesis
- a prediction about the relationship between the independent and dependent variables
- Abiotic Factors
- nonliving parts of an ecosystem
- Neutron
- A subatomic particle found within the nucleus with a neutral charge
- Brownian Motion
- the idea that the atoms that make up matter are in constant motion
- Precipitation
- rain, snow, sleet, or hail that has condensed from water vapor in the atmosphere and returns to the Earth's surface
- Convection
- the transfer of heat energy in a gas or liquid by means of the currents within
- Trophic Level
- each step in the transfer of energy through an ecosystem
- Thermosphere
- the layer of the atmosphere in which space shuttles orbit
- Ecosystem
- all living organisms in a certain area as well as their niche
- Transpiration
- the process by which water is released into the atmosphere by plants through a stomata
- 1st Law of Thermodynamics
- the law that states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed
- CFCs
- the chemical that destroys our ozone layer
- Radiation
- the transfer of energy in the form of rays, waves, or particles
- Niche
- an organism's way of life
- Cellular Respiration
- the process of breaking down food to yield energy
- Heat
- the total energy of the random movement of molecules of a substance/object
- Conduction
- the transfer of energy between the particles of matter (typically a solid)
- Stratosphere
- the layer of the atmosphere that contains the "good ozone"
- Cloud Seeding
- the process of man-making rain by filling moisture-laden clouds with tiny particles of silver iodide
- Carbon Cycle
- the process in an ecosystem in which producers take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and consumers, having eaten producers, release carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide
- Biotic Factors
- living parts of an ecosystem
- Exosphere
- the layer of the atmosphere that fades into outer space
- Temperature
- the measurement of the movement of molecules in a substance/object
- Conductors
- a substance that allows for energy transfer
- Troposphere
- the layer of the atmosphere that is capable of supporting life
- Evaporation
- the process in the water cycle in which heat from the sun causes water from the ground to turn into a gas and rise up into the sky
- Electron
- A subatomic particle found outside of the nucleus with a charge of -1
- Mesosphere
- the layer of the atmosphere in which shooting stars are found
- Consumer
- an organism that gets its energy by eating other organisms
- 3rd Law of Thermodynamics
- the law that states that in order for motion to stop we have to reach absolute zero
- Photosynthesis
- biological synthesis of chemical compounds in the presence of light
- Producer
- an organism that makes its own food
- Food Chain
- a sequence in which energy is transferred from one organism to the next as each organism eats another
- Habitat
- place where an organism lives