science glossary
its a very good vocab :)
Terms
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- model
- A description, analogy or a representation of something that helps us understand it better (e.g., a physical model, a conceptual model, a mathematical model).
- theory
- Systematically organized knowledge applicable in a relatively wide variety of circumstances; especially a system of assumptions accepted principles and rules of procedure devised to analyze predict of otherwise explain the nature or behavior of a specified set of phenomena.
- nonrenewable resources
- Substances (e.g., oil, gas, coal, copper, gold) that once used, cannot be replaced in a geological age
- carbon chemistry
- the science of the composition, structure, properties and reactions of carbon based matter, especially of atomic and molecular system; sometimes referred to as oeganic chemistry.
- hazardous waste
- A solid that because of it's quantity or concentration or its physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics, may cause or pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of, or otherwise managed
- open loop system
- A group of related objects that do not have feedback and cannot modify themselves
- information technology
- the technical means that humans create to store and transmit information
- closing the loop
- a link in the circular chain of recycling events that promotes the use of products made with recycled materials.
- groundwater
- water that infiltrates the soil and is located in underground reservoirs called aquifers.
- topographic map
- A representation of a region on a sufficient scale to show detail, selected man-made, and natural features of a portion of the land surface including it's relief and certain physicals and cultural features; the portrayal of the position, relation, size, shape and elevation of the area.
- inquiry
- A systematic process for using knowledge and skills to acquire and apply new knowledge
- integrated pest management
- A variety of pest control methods that include repairs, traps, bait, poison, etc. to eliminate pests
- incinerating
- Burning to ashes; reducing to ashes
- engineering
- The application of scientific, physical, mechanical and mathematical principles to design processes, products and structures that improve the quality of life
- renewable
- A naturally occurring raw material or form of energy that will be replenished through natural ecological cycles or sound management practices (e.g., the sun, wind, water, trees).
- electroniccommunications
- system for the transmission of information using electronic technology (e.g., Digital Cameras, cellular telephones, Internet, television, Fiber optics)
- sustainability
- the ability to keep in existence or maintain. A sustainable ecosystem is one that can be maintained.
- endangered species
- a species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range
- construction technology
- The ways that humans build structures on sites.
- dichotomous
- divided or dividing into two parts or classifications
- nova
- A variable star that suddenly increases in brightness to several times its normal magnitude and returns to its original appearance in a few weeks to several months or years
- subsystem
- A group of related objects that make up a larger system (E,g., automobiles have Electrical systems, fuel systems).
- niche (ecological)
- The role played by an organism in an ecosystem; its food preferences, requirements for shelter , special behaviors and the timing of its activities (e.g., nocturnal, diurnal), interaction with other organisms and its habitat.
- stream order
- Energy and nutrient flow that increases as water moves the oceans (E.g., the smallest stream (primary) that ends when rivers flow into oceans).
- composting
- A nonliving factor or element
- risk manaement
- A strategy developed to reduce or control the chance of harm or loss to one's health or life; the process of identifying evaluating selecting and implementing actions to reduce risk to human health and to ecosystem.
- tool
- any device used to extend human capability including computer-based tools.
- allele
- any of a set of possible forms of a gene.
- transportation technology
- The physical ways humans move materials, goods and people.
- wetlands
- lands where water saturation is the dominant factor determining the nature of the soil development and the plant and animal communities (e.g., sloughts, estuaries, marshes).
- decomposer
- An organism, often microscopic in size, that obtains nutrients by consuming dead organic matter, thereby making nutrients accessible to other organisms; examples of decomposer include Fungi, scavengers, rodents, and other animals
- technoligical design porcess
- recognizing the problem, proposing a solution, evaluating the solution and communicating the problem, design and solution.
- evolution
- A process of change that explains why what we see today is different from what existed in the past; it includes changes in the galaxies, stars, solar system, earth and life on earth. Biological evolution is a change in hereditary characteristics of groups of organisms over the course of generations.
- radioactive isotope
- An atom that gives off nuclear radiation and has the same number of protons as another atom but different numbers of neutrons.
- enzyme
- A protein that increases the rate of a chemical reactions without being changed by the reaction; an organic catalyst
- system
- A group of related objects that work together to achieve a desired result.
- instructional technology
- any mechanical aid (including computer technology) used to assist in or enhance to process of teaching and learning
- biotic
- an environmental factor related to or produced by living organisms.
- ergonomical
- Of or relating to the design of equipment or devices to fit the human body's control, position, movement and environment.
- acid deposition
- preciipitation with a pH less than 5.6 that forms in the atmosphere when certain pollutants mix with water vapor.
- hypothesis
- An assertion subject to verification or proof as a premise from which a conclusion is drawn
- mitosis
- The sequential differentiation and segregation of replicated chromosomes in a cell's nucleus that precedes complete cell division.
- extinction
- The complete elimination of a species from the earth.
- biomass conversion
- the changing of organic matter that has been produced by photosynthesis into useful liquid, gas or fuel.
- lotic
- Relating to or living in actively moving water
- embryology
- The branch of biology dealing with the development of living things from fertilized eggs to its developed state.
- enviroment
- the total of the surroundings (air, water, soil, vegetation, people, wildlife) influencing each living being's existence, including physical, biological and all other factors; the surroundings of a plant or animals including other plants or animals, climate and location.
- science
- Search for understanding the natural world using inquiry and experimentation
- mitigation
- the policy of constructing or creating man-made habitats, such as wetlands, to replace those lost to development
- law
- Summarizing statement of observed experimental facts that has been tested many times and is generally accepted as true.
- geologic hazard
- A naturally occurring or man-made condition or phenomenon that presents a risk or is a potential danger to life and property (e.g., landslides, floods, earthquakes, ground subsidence, coastal and beach erosion faulting, dam leakage and failure, Mining disasters, pollution and waste disposal, sinkholes).
- abiotic
- a nonliving factor or element
- desalinization
- to remove salts and other chemicals from sea or saline water
- theory of evolution
- a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modification in successive generations.
- nonpoint source pollution
- Contamination that originates from many locations that all discharge into a location (E.g., a Lake, Stream, Area)
- fact
- Information that has been objectively verified.
- biomedical technology
- the application of health care theories to develop methods, products and tools to maintain or improve homeostasis.
- commodities
- economic goods or products before they are processed and/or given a brand name, such as a product of agriculture.
- hydrology
- The scientific study of the properties, distribution and effects of water on the earth's surface, in the soil and underlying rocks and in the atmosphere
- shredder
- Through chewing and/or grinding, microorganism feed on non-woody coarse particulate matter, primarily leaves
- biotechnology
- the ways that humans apply biological concepts to produce products and provide services.
- lentic
- Relating to or living still in water
- equilibrium
- The ability of an ecosystem to maintain stability among its biological resources (e.g., forest, fisheries, crops) so that there is a steady optimum yield.
- scale
- Relates concepts and ideas to one another by some measurements (e.g., quantitative, numeral, abstract, ideological); provides a measure of size and/or incremental change
- delineate
- to trace the outline; to draw; to sketch; to depict or picture
- recycling
- Collecting and reprocessing a resource or product to make into new products.
- biomes
- a community of living organisms of a single major ecological region.
- manufacturing technology
- The ways that humans produce goods and products
- patterns
- Repeat process that are exhibited in a wide variety of ways; identifiable recurrences of the elements and/or the form
- pest
- A label applied to an organism when it is in competition with humans for some resources
- point source pollution
- Pollutants discharged from a single identifiable location (e.g., pipes, ditches, channels, sewers, tunnels, containers of a various types).
- closed loop system
- A group of related objects that have feedback and can modify themselves
- waste stream
- the flow of (waste) materials from generation, collection and separation to disposal.
- biological diversity
- the variety and complexity of species present and interacting in an ecosystem and the relative abundance of each.
- biochemical conversion
- the changing of organic matter into other chemical forms.
- homeostasis
- The tendency for a system to remain in a state of equilibrium by resisting change.
- watershed
- teh land area from which surface runoff drains into a stream, channel, lake, reservoir or other body of water; also called a drainage basin.
- technology education
- The application of tools, materials, processes and systems to solve problems and extend human capabilities.
- trophic levels
- The role of an organism in nutrient and energy flow within an ecosystem (e.g., herbivore, carnivore, decomposer).
- consumer
- 1. Those organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms and their remains. 2. A person buying goods or services for personal needs or to use in the production of other goods for resale
- succession
- The series of changes that occur in an ecosystem with the passing of time
- transportation systems
- A group of related parts that function together to perform a major task in any form of transportation.
- ecosystem
- A community of living organisms and their interrelated physical and chemical environment
- geologic map
- a representation of a region on which is recorded earth information (e.g., the distribution, nature and age relationships of a rock units and the occurrences of structural features, mineral deposits and fossil localities).
- regulation
- A rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law
- physical technology
- The ways that humans construct, manufacture and transport products