science vocab
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- magnetism
- the excess force exerted on each other by charges in motion
- genetics
- the study of biological inheritance
- latent heat
- the heat added or removed from a substance that produces a change of phase with no change in temperature
- erosion
- the movement of rock, sand, etc., due to natural forces
- element
- a substance consisting of only one species of atom, so that it cannot be decomposed by chemical means
- mineral
- an earth substance with specified chemical constitution
- magnet
- a device made of a ferromagnetic material, such as steel, which can exert forces on other such materials
- herbivore
- an animal that eats plants only (what Hibari hates the most)
- inertia
- the property of objects to remain in a state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force
- flood plain
- the flat region around an old river, which becomes covered with water at times of high runoff
- concentration
- the amount of a substance contained in a given volume of a solution or other mixture
- boiling point
- the temperature at which, at any given pressure, the liquid and gas phases of a substance are in equilibrium
- natural selection
- the tendency of individuals or species best adapted to a particular environment to leave larger numbers of offspring
- ion
- an atom or group of atoms that has acquired either a positive charge or a negative charge by gaining/losing electrons
- latitude
- the distance north or south of the equator measured in degrees
- humidity
- the amount of water vapor in the air
- Kelvin scale
- the SI temperature scale, which has its zero at the absolute zero of temperature
- zygote
- a cell formed by the fusion of two gametes
- atmosphere
- the layer of air surrounding the earth
- galaxy
- an agglomeration of many millions of stars
- bacteria
- the smallest and simplest one-celled organisms, having neither nucleus nor other organelles
- nucleus
- 1) the massive, charged center of an atom, composed of protons and neutrons 2) a structure in a cell, surrounded by a membrane and containing the chromosomes 3) a particle of dust in the atmosphere around which water condenses, forming a raindrop
- fossil
- the preserved remains or casts of a long-extinct organism
- atom
- the smallest part of an element
- insulator
- a substance that blocks the passage of heat or electric current
- alloy
- a substance composed of two or more metals
- isotope
- a variety of an element distinguished by its atomic mass number, but having the same atomic number as all other isotopes of the element
- igneous rock
- rock formed by the hardening of liquid rock emerging from deep within the earth, either to the surface or within the crust
- DNA
- deoxyribose nucleic acid, the substance of the genes
- algae
- simple, green organisms with cell walls, but without the complex structure of plants
- liquid
- a substance that takes the shape of its container, up to a definite upper surface
- longitude
- the distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees
- artery
- a muscular-walled blood vessel that distributes blood to the body tissues
- toxin
- a poisonous substance produced by bacteria
- frequency
- the number of cycles completed in a unit time in any cyclic phenomenon, such as a vibration
- evaporation
- conversion of a liquid into the gaseous phase by escape of molecules from the surface
- outcrop
- the part of the bedrock protruding through overlying sediments
- habitat
- the part of an ecosystem that is occupied by a given organism
- ecology
- the study of the relationships between organisms and with their inorganic environment
- light year
- the distance light travels in a year
- fission
- 1) reproduction of a one-celled organism by splitting into two equal parts 2) the splitting of an atomic nucleus into approximately equal parts, with the release of energy
- acid
- a substance that forms hydronium ions in water; having a pH less than 7
- electric charge
- the property of particles (such as electrons and protons) by which they exert forces on each other without respect to their mass
- anemia
- substandard concentration of red blood cells
- liter
- a unit of volume equal to 1000 cubic cm
- fertilization
- 1) the process of applying nutrients to the soil to stimulate plant growth 2) the union of a sperm and an egg cell to form a zygote
- conductor
- a material through which heat or electrical current may pass
- vaccine
- a material used to induce immunity to a specific disease
- jet stream
- a rapidly flowing mass of air high in the atmosphere
- absolute zero
- the lowest possible temperature, about -273 degrees Celsius
- neuron
- a nerve cell
- mass
- the quantity of substance in an object measured either by its acceleration when a force is applied or by its gravitational attraction to other objects
- insulin
- a hormone, produced in the pancreas, that controls the metabolism of glucose
- ductless gland
- an endocrine organ
- acid rain
- rain made acid by absorbing sulfur and nitrogen oxides from polluted air
- gamete
- a sex cell, such as egg or sperm
- chemical reaction
- a process in which the molecules or ionic composition of one or more substances is altered
- bedrock
- the solid rock underlying the loose material at the earth's surface
- endocrine organ
- a gland that secretes hormones into the blood
- energy
- a physical quantity having the dimension of work and measured in joules, whose total quantity remains constant through all interactions and transformations
- vertebrae
- the bones that are arrayed linearly to form the back-bone of vertebrates
- digestion
- the process of enzymatic breakdown of large organic molecules into smaller, soluble ones
- melting
- the change of matter from solid to liquid
- aorta
- the largest artery, carrying blood out of the left ventricle
- dilute solution
- a solution in which the solute has a low concentration
- kinetic energy
- the energy of an object as measured by its mass and velocity
- embryo
- an organism in the earliest stages of its development
- fusion
- 1) the melting of a solid 2) a nuclear reaction in which two small nuclei combine to form a larger one, accompanied by the release of energy 3) the union of isogametes of one-celled organisms
- calorie
- a quantity of heat energy, equal to 4.185 joules; the Large Calorie of the nutritionist is a kilocalorie, equal to 1000 calories
- ovary
- in animals, an organ that produces egg cells; part of the stigma of a flower that contains the ovules
- gravity
- the mass-dependent force by which any two objects in the universe attract each other
- excretion
- the disposal of metabolic wastes from the body, as by urination
- muscle
- an organ that controls body functions by carrying electrochemical impulses
- amino acid
- organic chemicals with an acid group (-COOH) at one end and an amino group (-NH2) at the other; the constituent molecules of proteins
- glacier
- a large mass of ice moving down a valley or across a continent
- lunar eclipse
- condition in which the earth comes between the sun and the moon so that the moon is in the earth's shadow
- food chain
- an array of organisms in which each serves as food for the one above
- electromagnetic waves
- disturbances in electric and magnetic fields propagating through space
- enzyme
- a substance, usually a protein, produced by living cells and acting as a catalyst
- alkali
- a strongly basic hydroxide
- fermentation
- an enzyme-controlled reaction that takes place in the absence of oxygen, such as the conversion of sugar to alcohol by the action of yeast
- isobar
- a line on a weather map connecting points of equal barometric pressure
- infrared rays
- electromagnetic waves of wavelength longer than those of visible light, but shorter than microwaves
- chemical formula
- conventional representation of the atomic composition of a compound
- electron
- a particle found in all atoms, having a small mass and a single unit of negative electric charge
- fault
- a crack in the earth's crust, along which crustal movement takes place
- esophagus
- the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach; gullet
- hormone
- a substance, secreted into the blood by an endocrine gland, that controls chemical processes in other parts of the body
- antibody
- a blood protein that protects the body from foreign chemicals or microorganisms
- greenhouse effect
- the warming of the earth resulting from atmospheric gases trapping heat that reradiates from the earth's surface
- electrostatic force
- the force particles exert on each other because of their electric charge
- volt
- the unit of measure of electric potential difference, which provides the condition for the flow of an electric current
- alternating current
- an electric current that reverses direction periodically
- capillary
- 1) a thin tube into which water can rise by adhesion to the surface 2) a tiny blood vessel connecting an artery to a vein and providing interchange of materials between blood and tissue
- weight
- the gravitational force that the earth or other astronomical object exerts on an object near its surface
- heat
- energy that passes from one system to another because of a difference in temperature
- melting point
- the temperature at which the solid and liquid phases of a substance can exist in equilibrium
- thermometer
- a device for measuring temperature
- barometer
- an instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure
- virus
- a submicroscopic particle that can become self-reproducing inside a living cell
- organic compound
- a molecular chemical compound based on carbon
- gas
- a substance, usually of very low density, that has no surfaces of its own but will spread to fill its container
- nerve
- an organ that controls body functions by carrying electrochemical impulses
- evolution
- the process by which species undergo drastic changes over long periods of time
- nitrogen
- a gaseous element that makes up 79 percent of the atmosphere
- helix
- a spiral shaped like a spring, characteristics of the DNA molecule
- molecule
- a particle consisting of one or more atoms bound together, and comprising the smallest quantity of a non-ionic substance
- catalyst
- a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being used up in the reaction
- front
- the boundary between two air masses
- neutron
- a neutral particle that is part of the nuclei of atoms, with mass slightly larger than that of a proton
- epicenter
- the point on the earth's surface directly above the geological shift that causes an earthquake
- electric current
- a flow of electric charge, typically carried by electrons through a metal or by ions through a solution or a plasma
- X-ray
- electromagnetic radiation of wavelength shorter than ultraviolet
- glucose
- the simple sugar that forms the fundamental energy supply of all nucleated organisms
- colon
- the large intestine
- air mass
- a large body of air characterized by certain values of temperature and humidity
- adrenalin
- a hormone of the adrenal gland, secreted in times of emergency
- gene
- the particle that carries hereditary info from one generation to another and controls the production of proteins in a living cell
- osmosis
- the diffusion of water through a membrane