click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Science Vocab
A way to study Science!
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Science | The investigation and exploration of natural events and of the new information that results from those investigation. |
Observation | The act of using one ore more of your senses to gather infirmation and take note of what occurs. |
Inference | A logical explanation of an observation that is drawn from prior knowledge or experience. |
Hypothesis | A possible explanation for on observation that can be tested by scientific investigations. |
Prediction | A statement of what will happen next in a sequence of events. |
Technology | The practical use of scientific knowledge, epsecially for industrial or commercial use. |
Scientific Theory | An explanation of observations or events that is based on knowledge gained from many observations and investigations. |
Scientific Law | A rule that describes a pattern in nature. |
Critical Thinking | Comparing what you already know with information you are given in order to decide whether you agree with it. |
Description | A spoken or written summary of observation. |
Explanation | An interpretation of observation. |
International System of Units (SI) | The internationally accepted system of measurement. |
Significant digits | The number digits in a measurement that are known with a certain degree of reliability. |
Variable | Any factor that can have more than one variable. |
Independant Variable | The factor that is changed by the investigator to observe how it affexts a dependant variable. |
Dependant Variable | The factor a scientist observes or measures during an experiment. |
Biosphere | The parts of Earth and the surrounding atmosphere where there is life. |
Atmosphere | A thin layer of gases surrounding Earth. |
Hydrosphere | The system containing all Earth's water. |
Cryosphere | The frozen portion of water on Earth's surface. |
Groundwater | Water that is stored in cracks and pores beneath Earth's surface. |
Geosphere | The solid part of Earth. |
Mineral | The naturally occuring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition. |
Rock | A naturally occuring solid composed of minerals, rock fragments, and sometimes other materials such as organic matter. |
Water Cycle | The series of natural processes by which water continually moves throughout the hydrosphere. |
Evaporation | The process of liquid changing to a gas at the surface of the liquid. |
Transpiration | The process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves. |
Condenstation | The process by which a gas changes into a liquid. |
Precipitation | Water, in liquid form, that falls from the atmosphere. |
Weather | The atmosphere conditions, along with short-term changes, of a certain place at a certain time. |
Climate | The long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region. |
Rock Cycle | The series of processes that change one type of rock into another type of rock. |
Uplift | The process that moves large bodies of Earth materials to higher elevations. |
Weathering | The mechanical and chemical processes that change Earth's surface over time. |
Meachanical Weathering | Physical processes that naturally break down rocks into smaller pieces. |
Chemical Weathering | The processes that changes the composition of rocks amd minerals due to exposure to the environment. |
Oxidation | The process that combines the element oxygen with other elements or molecules. |
Soil | A mixture of weathered rock, rock fragments, decayed organic matter, water, and air. |
Organic Matter | Remains of something that was once alive. |
Pore | Small holes and spaces in soil. |
Decomposition | The breaking down of dead organisms and organic waste. |
Parent Material | The starting material of soil consisting of rock or sediment that is subject to weathering. |
Topography | The shape and steepness of the landscape. |
Biota | All of the organisms that live in a region. |
Horizon | Layers of soil formed from movement of products of weathering. |
Erosion | The movement of weathered material, or sediment, from one location to another. |
Deposition | The laying down or settlig of eroded material. |
Meander | A broad, C-shaped curve in a system. |
Longshore Current | A current that flows parallel to the shoreline. |
Delta | The large deposit of sediment that forms where a stream enters a large body of water. |
Abrasion | The grinding away of a rock or other surfaces as a particles carried by wind, water, or ice scrape against them. |
Dune | A pile of windblown sand. |
Loess | A crumbly, windblown deposit of silt and clay. |
Mass Wasting | The downhill movement of a large mass of rock or soil due to gravity. |
Landslide | Rapid, downhill movement of soil, loose rocks, and boulders. |
Talus | A pile of angular rocks and sediment form a rockfall. |
Glacier | A large mass of ice, formed by snow accumulation on land, that moves slowly across Earth's surface. |
Till | A mixture of various sizes of sediment that has been deposited by a glacier. |
Moraine | A mound or ridge of unsorted sediment deposited by a glacier. |
Outwash | Layered sediment deposited by streams of water that flow from a melting glacier. |