| A | B |
|---|
| science | the search for answers to questions about nature |
| earth science | the search for answers to questions about the earth |
| atmosphere | the blanket of air surrounding the earth |
| hydrosphere | the waters of the earth |
| lithosphere | the solid outermost part of the earth |
| crust | the outer layer of the earth's lithosphere |
| mantle | a thick layer of rock below the earth's crust |
| core | the earth's innermost region, or the sun's center |
| planet | a large body that travels in an orbit around the sun |
| solar system | the sun and all of the planets, moons, and other bodies traveling around it |
| galaxy | a system of hundreds of billions of stars |
| mass | the amount of material an object contains |
| volume | the amount of space an object takes up |
| matter | anything which has mass and volume |
| solid | matter that has a definite shape and a definite volume |
| liquid | matter that has a definite volume but no definite shape |
| gas | matter that has no definite volume and no definite shape |
| plasma | a gaslike phase that occurs at very high temperatures |
| energy | the ability to cause change in matter |
| evaporation | the process of changing from liquid to gas |
| condensation | the process of changing from gas to liquid |
| water cycle | the continuous exchange of water among the earth's water, land and air |
| runoff | water flowing across the earth's surface |
| natural resource | a material from the earth that is useful to human beings |
| nonrenewable resource | a resource that cannot be replaced |
| renewable resource | a resource that can be replaced or used again in a short time |
| sedimentary rock | rocks formed from bits of other rocks, plants, and animals that have settled together and hardened |
| fossils | the remains or traces of former living things |
| metamorphic rock | rock formed when existing rock is changed by extreme heat and pressure |
| igneous rock | rocks formed when hot, liquid rock cools and hardens |
| technology | the use of scientific knowledge to serve human needs |
| pollution | harmful material that is added to the air, water, or land |
| atom | the smallest complete unit of the basic building blocks of matter |
| proton | a positively charged atomic particle |
| neutron | an atomic particle with no charge |
| electron | a negatively charged atomic particle |
| nucleus | the cluster of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom |
| element | a substance that cannot be broken downinto a simpler substance |
| molecule | the smallest particle of any substance that can exist independently |
| compound | a substance of two or more elements chemically combined |
| mixture | a combination of two or more substances physically combined |
| solution | a mixture in which substances are dissolved evenly throughout |
| gravity | a pull in which all matter exerts onall other matter |
| weight | a measure of the pull of the earth's gravity on an object |
| density | the mass of a substance contained in a given volume |
| potential energy | stored energy |
| kinetic energy | the energy of matter in motion |
| nuclear energy | the energy in the nuclei of atoms |
| radiant energy | energy that travels through space as waves |
| wavelength | the distance from the peak of one wave to the peak of the next |
| electromagnetic spectrum | the total range of wavelengths of radiant energy |
| ultraviolet radiation | wavelength slightly shorter than visible light |
| infrared radiation | wavelengths slightly longer than visible light |
| observing | noting and remembering what you sense |
| data | measurements and events observed and recorded by a scientist |
| law | a scientificevent that is known to be true and has been checked many times |
| geocentric | earth-centered |
| heliocentric | sun-centered |
| hypothesis | a possible explanation to a science problem |
| scientific test | a check of a hypothesis |
| experiment | a scientific test designed to give data under carefully controlled conditions |
| variable | any condition that can be changed |
| control | an extra set-up in which all conditions are the same except for the variable being tested |
| theory | a carefully built set of tested ideas that explain many scientific observations |
| meter | the unit of length used in science |
| centi- | prefix meaning one hundredth |
| milli- | prefix meaning one thousandth |
| kilo- | prefix meaning one thousandth |
| liter | a unit of volume in science |
| kilogram | the unit of mass in science |
| Celsius scale | a temperature scale on which water freezes at 0 degress Celsius and boils at 100 degrees Celsius |
| equator | an imaginary line circling the earth halfway between the North and South poles. |
| latitude lines | grid lines that show locations north and south of the equator |
| prime meridian | a line drawn from pole to polepassing through Greenwich, England |
| longitude lines | grid lines that show locations east and west of the prime meridian |
| map scale | compare distances on a map with distances on the earth |
| topography | the shapes and features of the earth's surface |
| elevation | height above sea level |
| bench mark | a point whose position and elevation have been measured very accurately |
| contour line | a line that connects places on a map which are all at the same elevation |
| contour interval | the difference in elevation between neighboring contour lines |
