Exam vocab. words: Introduction to Earth Science
Terms
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- theory
- the most logical explanation for things that occur in nature
- law
- Once a theory has passed many tests and is generally accepted by the scientific community, it becomes a ___.
- geology
- study of rocks and minerals as well as the origin, history, and structure of the earth.
- meteorology
- the study of weather, climate, and phenomena in the atmosphere.
- oceanography
- the study of oceans, including their physical features and life forms.
- astronomy
- the study of characteristics of objects in space (planets, stars, galaxies, black holes, supernova, nebulae, etc.)
- scientific method
- a way to solve problems in all branches of science. It is usually, but not always, followed in a specific number of ways.
- variable
- the condition being tested
- control
- the ideal conditions for running an experiment, nothing is being tested.
- data
- information, often in the form of facts or figures obtained from experiments or surveys, used as a basis for making calculations or drawing conclusions
- fair test
- an experiment that only tests one variable at a time.
- metric system
- the scientific system of measurement.
- meter
- unit of length in the metric system
- mass
- the amount of matter in an object
- volume
- The amount of space an object takes up
- Liter
- a unit in the metric system that measures volume of liquids
- cubic centimeter
- a unit in the metric system that measures volume of regularly shaped solids
- gram
- a unit in the metric system that measures mass
- weight
- the measure of attraction between 2 objects due to gravity
- newton
- a unit of weight that space agencies use; it is the ratio of the gravitational attraction of two objects
- density
- mass per unit volume; D = M/V
- celsuis
- measures temperature in the metric system
- dimensional analysis
- the method for converting one unit to another.
- refracting telescope
- an optical telescope that uses a series of lenses to focus light
- reflecting telescope
- an optical telescope that uses a series of mirrors to focus light
- electromagnetic spectrum
- consists of both visible and invisible light.
- radio telescope
- collects radio waves which are focused onto an antenna that translates the signal into a picture.
- infrared telescope
- detects heat energy which is given off by all objects. This type of telescope is usually found in orbit because infrared energy from distant objects has a hard time passing through our atmosphere.
- ultraviolet telescope
- also usually found in orbit because our atmosphere blocks many UV rays, especially those from objects that are very far away.
- X-ray telescope
- usually found in orbit around earth. These telescopes have provided information on the life cycles of stars. Top picture is an X-ray image of 5 galaxies making up NGC 4410.
- Hubble Telescope
- orbits earth and consists of several different types of telescopes
- (Convert degrees celsius to degrees fahrenheit)
- °F = (°C x 1.8) + 32
- (convert degrees fahrenheit to degrees celsius)
- °C = (°F – 32) x .5555