Vocabulary
Each unit's vocabulary will be posted here and updated regularly- more will appear as the year continues. You can also find resources to help you study the vocabulary and other helpful materials.
Scientific Method
- independent variable- the variable in a experiment that a scientist changes. For example, in an experiment seeing which type of corn grows the largest, the scientist would use many types of corn. Therefore, the type of corn is the independent variable
- dependent variable- what is being measured in an experiment; what the independent variable causes to change. For example, in the previous example discussing corn, the size of the corn would be the dependent variable
- constant- something that stays the same in an experiment; it is purposefully done the same to ensure correct results. For example, using the same type of soil for all plants when comparing how big different types of corn grow.
- hypothesis- an if, then statement used by scientist to propose a possible outcome/educated guess
- Control group- the group that no change is made to(normal way of doing things); used for comparing to experimental group. Example: When testing tooth pastes to see which brand works best, the normal kind of tooth paste you use would be the control.
Hydrosphere/Water
cohesion- when particles of the same substance stick together (property of water)
adhesion- when particle of different substance stick together (property of water)
capillary action- when water is pulled upward in a tube (or stem) due to adhesion
aquifer- a large collection of ground water that is held up by a bed of permeable rock; it is fresh water and used by humans to get drinking water
river basin- the land drained by a river and its tributaries; we all live in one
estuary- where the river(s) runs into the ocean and creates an ecosystem with salt and fresh water
salinity-the amount of salt in a body of water
density- how compact an object or liquid is; how many particles there are
upwelling- when cold, nutrient rich water comes from deep ocean up to the surface waters; wind moves surface water and allows for upwelling to occur
turbidity- Clarity of water; amount of soil in the water
phytoplankton- Base of ocean food web; a microscopic plant in the ocean that lives near the surface and produces a lot of oxygen
eutrophication- when there is overload of nutrients in a body of water; this can lead to algal blooms, lowered oxygen levels, and unhealthy water
algal bloom- when algae over takes a body of water; this blocks sunlight, can become toxic, and lowers oxygen levels
bioindicator- a living organism that is analyzed to see if a body of water is healthy or not
pH scale- a scale that measures how acidic a liquid is; goes from 0 to 14 (0 is very acidic, 14 is basic)
Chemistry Unit
proton- a subatomic particle inside the nucleus of an atom; it is positively charged
neutron-a subatomic particle inside the nucleus of an atom; it has no charge
electron- a subatomic particle that forms a cloud surrounding the OUTSIDE of an atom; it is negatively charged
atomic number- the number of protons in an atom; the periodic table is arranged by this and it is displayed above each element symbol on the periodic table
atomic mass- the number of protons and neutrons inside of the atom; it is shown below each element symbol on the periodic table
pure substance- elements on periodic table
compound- 2 or more elements that are chemically combined; example: H2O (water)
mixture- 2 or more substances that are only physically combined (and easily separated generally); Example- lemonade
family/group- vertical lines on the periodic table (up and down) that have similar properties
periods-Horizontal lines on the periodic table (side to side)
Law of Conservation of Mass- Matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed
Matter- anything that takes up space and has mass
States of matter- solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Forms in which matter can take on earth that vary due to atom distance/speed
Chemical change- brand new substance is formed/ original substance changes to brand new on molecular level
Physical change- substance can change how it looks/what state its in BUT it is still the same on molecular level (ie. If water is frozen because it is still water just in a new state)
Disease Unit
vector-animal that transmits disease to human (ex: dog bite causing rabies)
pathogen- anything that causes disease
pandemic- disease spread to multiple countries or areas. Example: Spanish Flu or Covid
epidemic- disease spread in one country or location
virus- nonliving cause of disease that needs a host to reproduce; prevented with vaccine, no cure
fungi-living organism that can cause disease, reproduces sexually and asexually, Example-mushroom
bacteria- living cause of disease that reproduce asexually through binary fission; treated with antibiotics
parasite- animal that feeds off a host to survive and can cause disease; example-tapeworm
vaccine- shot given to help prevent people from getting viruses
antibiotic- medication used to treat disease caused by BACTERIA; must take for entire amount of time told by doctor
binary fission- asexual form of reproduction used by bacteria
Landform Unit
Geologic timescale-a record of major events in the Earth's history, divided into periods
Mold fossil- An imprint of an organism in rock; it is hollow
Cast Fossil- A filled in mold fossil; it is the shape of the original organism and solid
Preserved organism- the ORIGINAL remains of an organism; usually trapped in tar, ice or amber
Trace fossil- Evidence that an organism once lived like footprints, trails, and animal droppings
Pangaea- A supercontinent that was believed to exist in the past (all continents connected)
Continental Drift theory- The theory that the continents drifted apart over time (but were once connected in Pangaea)
Fossil- the preserved remains or traces of a dead organism
Superposition-the theory that older rock layers are on the bottom, and newer are on the top
Cross section- a segment of igneous rock that cuts across other layers; the cross section is younger than the layer it cuts across