| A | B |
|---|
| problem | why you are doing the experiment |
| hypothesis | guess |
| experiment | materials - things necessary for the experiment |
| data | information collected when doing the experiment |
| conclusion | what you learned from the experiment |
| constants | the parts of an experiment that stays the same |
| variable | what is changed during an experiment, only one |
| independent/manipulated variable | what is changed by the experimenter - only one per experiment |
| dependent/responding variable | what changed in response (this happened because...) |
| repeating experiments | doing an experiment more than once to check for validity |
| natural resource | materials removed from the earth and used by people |
| two main groups of natural resources | nonrenewable and renewable |
| renewable resource | energy resources that can be replaced in nature (or by humans) within a relatively short period of time |
| example of renewable resource | wood, garbage, solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal |
| nonrenewable resource | energy resources that are used faster than they can be replaced |
| examples of nonrenewable resource | fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), nuclear |
| ecosystem | consists of all the living and nonliving things in a given area that interact with one another |
| organisms | a living thing that interacts with its environment |
| producers | organisms that can make their own food; they use a source of energy (sunlight) to produce sugars |
| consumers | an organism that feeds directly or indirectly on producers; herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, scavengers clean up and feed on dead bodies |
| decomposers | break down of dead organisms into simpler substances |
| example of decomposers | molds, mushrooms, bacteria |
| herbivore | plant eaters |
| example of herbivore | grasshoppers and rabbits |
| carnivore | meat eaters |
| example of carnivores | spiders, snakes, wolves |
| omnivores | plant and meat eaters |
| example of omnivores | crows, bears, and humans |
| fossil | the remains, imprints, or traces or prehistoric organisms |
| fossil formation | animal/plant dies, buried quickly by sediments, materials hardens into sedimentary rocks, having hard parts gives an organism a better chance |
| topographic map | contour lines show change in elevation; the closer the contours means the steeper the slope and the farther apart means more gentle slope |
| mineral | naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and an orderly arrangement of atoms |
| mineral characteristics | luster, hardness, appearance specific gravity, streak, cleavage and fracture, special properties |
| rocks | a mixture of minerals, rock fragments, volcanic glass, organic matter, or other natural material |
| rock types | igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary |
| igneous rocks | molten rock material that cools and hardens intrusive |
| sedimentary rocks | loose materials such as rock fragments, minerals, shell or sand are cemented together or from solution |
| metamorphic rocks | rocks that change because of heat and pressure or hot watery fluids (foliated and nonfoliated) |
| earthquake | vibrations produced when rocks break along a fault. There are normal faults, reverse faults and strike-slip (transform) faults |
| volcano | opening in Earth's surface that erupts gases, ash and lava. They form along plate boundaries where plates move together (subduction zones) or at hot spots |
| plate tectonics | the theory that states that Earth's crust and part of the upper mantle are broken into sections called lithospheric plates that "float" on the plastic-like mantle |
| continental drift | continents have moved slowly to their current locations. Alfred Wegener called the landmass Pangaea. Evidence includes; fossils, climate clues, rock clues, puzzle like fit of continents |
| explain Earth's seasons | the tilt of the Earth is responsible for the seasons |
| gravity | the force of attraction that pulls all object's towards Earth's center. This is an erosional force or agent of erosion. |
| weathering | surface processes that work to break down rock |
| mechanical weathering | physically broken |
| chemical weathering | chemical reactions that break apart |
| erosion | a process that wears away surface materials and moves them from one place to another; wind, water, gravity, glaciers, soil erosion |
| conduction | transfer of energy that occurs when molecules bump into one another; direct contact transfers energy (like hot soup makes the spoon hot) |
| convection | transfer of heat by the flow of material, warmer air rises, cooler air sinks forming convection currents like in the mantle, convection ovens do this as well |
| radiation | energy transferred in the form of rays or waves. The sun gives off radiant energy to warm the earth |
| Why does the Earth receive different amounts of radiation from the Sun? | Earth receives different amounts of radiant energy because some energy is reflected into space, some absorbed by the atmosphere, and some absorbed by land and water. |
| What is the difference between weather and climate? | weather is the events such as rain/sun/snow that occur in a given area. Climate is the pattern of weather over time |
| stationary front | neither warm or cold air mass advances. Can stay put for days, causing rain |
| What is the difference between isobars and isotherms? | isobars are lines drawn to connect points of equal atmospheric pressure. Isotherms are lines drawn to connect points of equal temperature |
| axis | imaginary vertical line around which Earth spins |
| rotation | the spinning of Earth on it's axis (1 day = 1 rotation) |
| revolution | yearly orbit around the sun. This orbit is eliptical. We are closest to the sun Jan 3 and farthest around July 4th. |
| phases of moon change | lasts 29.5 days; waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent, new moon |
| eclipse | when the sun, moon and earth allign |
| solar eclipse | occur when the moon moves directly between the sun and Earth and casts a shadow over part of the Earth |
| lunar eclipse | occur when the Earth's shadow falls on the moon |
