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science vocabulary

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Term
Definition
adaptation   a feature that helps a living thing survive in its environment  
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air mass   a large body of air with the same temperature and humidity throughout  
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air pressure   the weight of the atmosphere pressing in all directions at a certain place  
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altitude   an object’s height above Earth’s surface  
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analyze   to study something carefully in order to understand what it means  
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anemometer   a tool used to measure wind speed  
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Aristotle   a Greek philosopher who made many discoveries in life science, astronomy, and physics  
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atmosphere   the blanket of air that surrounds Earth  
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attract    
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axis   an imaginary line that runs through Earth’s center from the North Pole to the South Pole  
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bar graph   a graph that shows numbers as bars of different lengths  
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barometer   a tool used to measure air pressure  
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behavior   a way in which a living thing acts or responds to its surroundings  
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biofuel   a fuel made from living things  
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boiling   the bubbling that takes place in a liquid when enough heat is added to change the liquid quickly into a gas  
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boiling point   the temperature at which a liquid boils  
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camouflage   a pattern or coloring that helps a living thing blend in with its surroundings  
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canyon   a deep, narrow valley with steep sides  
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carbon dioxide-oxygen cycle   the movement of carbon dioxide and oxygen gas through the environment of Earth  
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carnivore    
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characteristic   a body feature that helps an organism survive in its environment  
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characteristic properties   properties of matter that do not change  
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circle graph   a graph that shows the parts of a whole as the parts of a circle  
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climate   the average weather of an area over a long period of time  
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closed circuit   a complete path for the flow of electricity  
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communicate   to share ideas and information  
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community   all the populations of organisms living in an ecosystem  
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competition   the struggle between two organisms to obtain the same resource in an ecosystem  
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compression   a region in which particles in air are bunched together  
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complete metamorphosis   the total change of form that some insects go through as they become adults  
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conclusion   a statement about what data seem to mean and observations  
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condensation   the change from a gas to a liquid  
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conduct   to transfer heat or electricity  
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conductor   a material that lets electricity or heat pass through it easily  
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conserve   to use something wisely, to avoid using it up  
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conservation   the careful use and protection of natural resources  
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consumer   1) an organism that gets energy by eating other organisms 2) a person who buys merchandise  
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control   a feature that does not change in an experiment  
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continent   an enormous, slowly moving landmass that floats on Earth’s surface  
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crater   a large, hollow pit in the surface of the moon (or a planet)  
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data   pieces of information gathered during an investigation or experiment  
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decomposer   an organism that gets energy by breaking down dead organisms  
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delta   an area of sediment that builds up to form a flat piece of land where a river flows into an ocean or lake  
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density   the amount of matter in a certain amount of space  
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deposition   the process by which eroded rock is dropped in a new place  
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direction   the path that a moving object follows  
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dissolve   to mix evenly in a liquid. When a substance dissolves, it breaks into tiny pieces that seem to disappear.  
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drought   a long period of time of dryness that may occur when precipitation is less than normal  
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dune   a hill of sand deposited by wind  
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earthquake   the shaking that happens when rock in Earth’s crust breaks and slips  
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ecosystem   all the living and nonliving things in an area  
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electric current   a flow of electric charges through a circuit  
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electrical circuit   the path that an electrical current takes  
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electrical energy   the energy of moving electric charges  
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electromagnet   a magnet made by sending current through a wire wrapped around a metal object, such as a nail  
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empirical evidence   data or conclusions collected through personal observation or experience that can prove that a hypothesis is correct or incorrect  
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energy   the ability to make things move or change  
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environment   a living thing’s surroundings  
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erosion   the process by which weathered rock is picked up and moved  
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evaporation   the change from a liquid to a gas at the surface of the liquid  
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evolution   (the theory of) the series of gradual changes in a species over time  
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experiment   a controlled test to answer a scientific question  
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extinct   no longer found living on Earth  
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extinction   occurs when all the members of a species die off  
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flexible   easy to bend  
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flood   an overflow of water onto land that is normally dry  
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food chain   a model that shows the path of energy as it flows from one living thing to the next  
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food web   a diagram showing several food chains linked together  
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force   a push or pull  
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fossil   the remains or trace of an organism that lived in the past  
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fossil fuel   an energy resource that formed from the remains of plants or animals that died millions or years ago  
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freezing   the change from a liquid to a solid  
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freezing point   the temperature at which liquid freezes  
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friction   a force that acts between two objects that touch each other or rub together  
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front   a place where two different air masses meet  
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full moon   the phase of the moon that we see when the whole lit side of the moon faces toward Earth  
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gas   matter that does not have a fixed volume or shape  
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geologist   a scientist who studies Earth and its history  
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geothermal energy    
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global warming   the thought increase in the average temperature of Earth  
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graduated cylinder   a tool used to measure the volume of a liquid  
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gravity   a force that pulls all objects toward each other  
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habitat   the place where a living thing is found naturally  
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hazard   anything that can be dangerous  
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heat   thermal energy moving from one object or substance to another  
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herbivore   an animal that eats only plants  
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hibernate   to go into a sleep-like state during winter  
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horizon   the line where the sky and Earth’s surface seem to meet  
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humus   a dark material in soil, formed from the remains of living things  
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hydroelectric energy   the energy of moving water used to make electricity  
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hypothesis   a possible answer to a scientific question  
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incomplete metamorphosis   the partial change of form that some insects go through as they become adults  
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inference   an explanation of something observed, based on knowledge  
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inherited trait   a characteristic that a living thing gets from its parents  
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insulator   a material that blocks the flow of electricity or heat  
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investigation   a careful study of something to answer a question about it  
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inexhaustible resource   a resource like sunlight that cannot be used up  
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landform   a feature of Earth’s surface  
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landslide   The sudden movement of rocks and soil down the side of a hill  
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larva   the early, immature stage in the life cycle of some animals  
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lava   Melted rock on Earth’s surface  
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learned behavior   A skill that an animal develops after it is born  
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length   A measure of how long something is, or the distance between two points  
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lens   an object used to refract light  
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life cycle   All the stages of a living thing from the beginning of life to death  
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light energy   Energy that we can see  
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line graph   a graph that uses a line to represent change  
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liquid   Matter that has a fixed volume but not a fixed shape  
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load   Any device that uses electricity  
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logical reasoning   a way of thinking that reviews information to draw conclusions  
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magnet   A metal object that can pull certain other metal objects toward itself  
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magnetic field   The area around a magnet where it can pull or push  
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magnetism   The attraction of magnets to objects that contain certain metals, such as iron  
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map   a type of illustration used to display locations  
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mass   The amount of matter that makes up an object  
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matter   Anything that has mass and takes up space  
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mechanical energy   The energy of moving objects  
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medium   A material through which light travels  
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melting   The change from a solid to a liquid  
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metamorphosis   The change in form that some animals go through as they become adults  
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meteorologist   A scientist who studies weather  
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microscope   a tool used to observe very small objects  
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migrate   To move from one place to another in a pattern  
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mirror   An object with a very smooth surface that forms images by reflecting light  
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mineral   nonliving natural materials with a regular structure, including metals, metal ores, and some kinds of rocks  
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mixture   Matter made up of two or more substances, each of which keeps its own properties  
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model   Something that represents a real object, event, or process  
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moon   A natural object that moves in an orbit around a planet  
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motion   A change in position over time  
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natural resource   Anything found in nature that is useful to people  
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new moon   The phase of the moon that we see when the whole lit side of the moon faces away from Earth  
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Newton   (Isaac Newton 1642 - 1727) was an English physicist and mathematician who made great contributions on laws of motion and gravity.  
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niche   the role an organism has in its ecosystem  
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nonrenewable resource   A natural resource that cannot be replaced easily  
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observation   information gathered with the senses  
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omnivore   an animal that eats both plants and animals  
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open circuit   an incomplete path for the flow of electricity  
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orbit   the curved path that a planet or other space body follows as it moves around another body in space  
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organism   a complete, individual living thing  
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paleontologist   a scientist who studies fossils  
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pan balance   a tool used to measure mass  
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pattern   a trend, or a change that repeats itself  
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phases   the different shapes of the lit half of the moon as seen from Earth during the lunar cycle  
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photosynthesis   the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria use energy from sunlight to make their own food (change carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen)  
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physical property   a feature of an object or substance that can be observed directly or measured with a tool  
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planet   a large round body in space that moves around a star  
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Plato   a Greek philosopher who believed that everything was made of four elements: earth, water, air, and fire  
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pole   a region of a magnet where the magnetic force is strongest  
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pollution   the release of harmful substances into the air, water, or soil  
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population   a group of organisms of the same kind that live in an ecosystem  
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position   the place where an object is located  
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precaution   something that is done to prevent an accident  
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precipitation   water that falls from the atmosphere as rain, snow, hail, or sleet  
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predator   an animal that hunts other animals for food  
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prediction   a statement about what is likely to happen in the future  
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prey   an animal that is hunted by other animals  
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prism   a clear, or see-through, object that separates white light into all the colors of the rainbow  
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producer   an organism that makes its own food by photosynthesis  
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pupa   a stage in metamorphosis when the organism is changing from larva to adult  
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quarter moon   the phase of the moon in which we see half of the lit side of the moon  
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rain gauge   a tool used to measure the amount of rain that falls  
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recycling   processing used materials to make new products, or to reuse materials  
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refraction   the bending of light that occurs when light passes from one material into another  
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renewable resource   a natural resource that can be replaced as it is used  
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repel   to push away  
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resistance   a physical property that opposes the flow of electric current  
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resource   any material that an organism needs for survival and obtains from its habitat  
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reproduce   to make new living things of the same kind  
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revolve   to move in a path around another space body, such as the sun  
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revolution   the movement of one object around another  
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rotate   to spin on an axis  
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rotation   the turning or spinning of an object around a central line, or axis  
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runoff   water that flows over the surface of the ground  
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scale model   shows an object at an exact fraction of its actual size  
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scavenger   an animal that feeds on the dead bodies of other animals  
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scientific method   a collection of steps used to explore questions and investigate the natural world  
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scientific process   see scientific method repeat  
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sediment   material that is eroded and deposited  
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sedimentary rock   rock that forms from layers of sediment that are compacted and cemented together  
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shadow   a dark area that forms when an object blocks light  
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soil   the thin layer of material on Earth’s surface in which plants can grow  
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solar energy   energy from the sun  
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solar system   the sun and all the planets and other objects that move around it  
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solid   matter that has a fixed volume and a fixed shape  
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solution   a mixture in which one substance dissolves in another  
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sound energy   energy that we can hear  
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sound wave   an alternating area of high and low air pressure that transmits energy through a medium, such as a solid, liquid, or gas  
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speed   a measure of how far an object moves in a certain amount of time  
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species   a group of one type of organism that can mate and produce fertile offspring  
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spring scale   a tool for measuring weight  
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star   a huge ball of hot gases that gives off its own light  
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state of matter   the form that matter has, such as solid, liquid, or gas  
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static electricity   a buildup of charge within an object that occurs when there are unequal positive and negative electric charges within a material  
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sunrise   the time of day when the sun appears to come up over the horizon  
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sunset   the time of day when the sun appears to fall below the horizon  
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support   to provide evidence in favor of something or helps one prove their inference.  
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survive   to stay alive  
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system   a group of parts that work together  
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symmetry   the sameness of form in the halves of an object  
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table   an arrangement used to display a large amount of information  
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temperature   a measure of how warm something – how much heat it contains  
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testable   able to be observed and measured  
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theory   an explanation of why something happens in nature  
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thermal energy   the energy of the moving particles that make up all matter  
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thermometer   a tool used to measure temperature  
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tide   a rise or fall of ocean water  
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time   a period that can be measured using a stopwatch, clock, and sometimes calendar  
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trait   a quality or characteristic of a living thing  
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trial   a single completed investigation  
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triple beam balance   a tool used to measure mass  
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validity   truthfulness  
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variable   anything that can change, or the characteristic that is tested in an experiment  
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variation   differences in members of a species due to inherited traits  
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vibration   the back-and-forth movement of an object  
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volume   the measurable amount of space any substance fills  
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volcanic eruption   the sudden escape of melted rock and gases at a volcano  
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volcano   an opening in Earth’s surface through which hot, melted rock and gases escape  
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waning   getting smaller, as in the lit part of the moon we see from Earth  
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water cycle   the movement of water between Earth’s surface and atmosphere  
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waxing   getting bigger, as in the lit part of the moon we see from Earth  
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weather   the condition of the atmosphere at a certain time and place  
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weathering   a process of the breaking down of rock into smaller pieces  
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weight   a measure of the pull of gravity on an object  
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wind energy   the energy of moving air  
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wind vane   a tool used to show wind direction  
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