Physical Science Vocabulary from Chapter 1
Terms
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- What is...Science?
- A process of understanding the world where information is gained.
- Technology
- The application of information to make living easy.
- Chemistry
- The study of the composition, structure, properties, & reactions of matter.
- Physics
- The study of matter & energy, & the interactions between the two through forces & motion.
- Geology
- The study of the origin, history, & structure of earth.
- Astronomy
- The study of the universe beyond earth.
- Biology
- The study of life & it's processes.
- Scientific Method
- An organized plan used for gathering, organizing, & communicating information.
- Observation
- The information obtained through the senses.
- Hypothesis
- A proposed answer to a question.
- Manipulated Variable
- The variable that causes a change in another variable.
- Responding Variable
- A variable that changes in response to a change in the manipulated variable.
- Controlled Experiment
- An experiment in which only one variable, the manipulated variable, is deliberately changed at one time.
- Scientific Theory
- A well-tested explantation for a set of observations or experimental results.
- Scientific Law
- A statement that summeriees a pattern found in nature.
- Model
- A representation of an object or event.
- Scientific Notation
- A way of expressing a value as the product of a number between 1-10 & a power of 10.
- Conversion Factor
- A ratio of equal measurements that is used to convent a quanity from one unit to another.
- Precision
- A gauge of how exact a measurement is.
- Significant Figures
- All the digits in a measurements that are directly measured, plus the last digit, which is estimated.
- Accuracy
- The closeness of a measurement to the true value of what is measured.
- Thermometer
- An instrument that measures temperature.
- Slope
- The steepness of a line, equal to a ratio of a vertical change to the corresponding horizontal change.
- Direct Proportion
- A realtionship between two variables in which their ratio is constant.
- Inverse Proportion
- A relationship in which the product of two variables is a constant whenall other variables are held constant.