| A | B |
|---|
| adaptation | a characteristic of an organism that increases its chance of survival in its environment |
| atmosphere | the layers of gas that surround celestial bodies |
| atom | smallest unit of a chemical element that can still retain the properties of that element |
| axis | imaginary central line on which an object rotates |
| carnivore | animal or plant that consumes or obtains nutrients from animals |
| change of state | physical change that occurs when matter changes to another phase |
| chemical change | reaction or change in a substance produced by changing chemical bonds |
| community | all the populations of organisms belonging to different species and sharing the same geographical area |
| compound | substance made up of a combination of two or more elements held together by chemical bonds |
| condensation | process of changing from a gas to a liquid |
| conservation | controlled use and/or maintenance of natural resources |
| constellation | star pattern identified and named as a definite group |
| consumer | organism that feeds on other organisms for food |
| decomposer | organism that feeds or obtains nutrients by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms |
| density | mass per unit volume of substance in a given area |
| deposition | layering matter in a natural process |
| earthquake | shaking of the ground caused by a sudden release of energy in Earths crust |
| ecosystem | integrated unit of a biological community, its physical environment, and interactions |
| element | substance that cannot be reduced to a simpler substance by chemical means |
| energy | quantity that describes the capacity to do work: a source of usable power |
| energy pyramid | pyramidal diagram that compares the amount of energy available at each position, or level, In the feeding order |
| energy transfer | transformation of energy from one form to another (e.g.. mechanical to electrical, solar- to electrical) |
| environment | sum of conditions affecting an organism. including all living and nonliving things In an area, such as plants. animals, water, soil,weather, landforms, and air |
| equator | imaginary circle around Earth's that divides it into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres |
| erosion | wearing away of Earth's surface by the breakdown and transportation of rock and soil |
| evaporation | process by which a liquid is convened to its vapor physical by heating the liquid |
| experiment | procedure that is carried out and repeated under controlled conditions in order to discover, demonstrate, or test a hypothesis; includes all components of the scientific method |
| food chain | transfer of energy through various stages as a result of feeding patterns of a series of organisms |
| food web (food cycle) | interconnected feeding relationships in a food chain found in a particular place and time |
| force | push or pull |
| fossil | whole or part of a plant or animal that has been preserved in sedimentary rock |
| friction | opposing force relativeto the motion of two material surfaces in contact with one another |
| fulcrum | pivot point of a lever |
| galaxy | large collection of stars, gases, and dust that are part of the universe bound together by gravitational forces |
| gas | one of the fundamental states of matter in which the molecules do not have a fixed volume or shape |
| gravitation | force of attraction between two masses |
| gravity | observed effect of the force of gravitation |
| habitat | place in an ecosystem where an organism normally lives |
| heat | form of energy resulting from the temperature difference between a system and its surroundings |
| herbivore | animal that feeds on plants |
| igneous rock | type of rock that forms from molten or partly molten material that cools and hardens |
| inclined plane | type of simple machine; a slanted surface |
| inertia | property of a body, due to its mass, that causes it to resist any change in its motion unless overcome by a force |
| investigation | procedure that is carried out in order to observe a response caused by a stimulus; not a complete experiment |
| kinetic energy | energy possessed by a body because of its motion |
| lever | type of simple machine; consists of a rigid bar that pivots about a fulcrum |
| life cycle | entire sequence of events in an organisms growth and development |
| light | electromagnetic radiation that lies within the visible range |
| liquid | one of the fundamental states of matter with a definite volume but no definite shape |
| magnetic | having the property of attracting iron and certain other materials by virtue of a surrounding field of force |
| mass | amount of matter an object contains |
| matter | solid, liquid, or gas that possesses inertia and is capable of occupying space |
| metamorphic rock | type of rock that forms from existing rock because of extreme changes caused by heat, pressure, or chemical environments |
| microscopic | relating to an object too small to be visible without the use of a microscope |
| mixture | product of a blending of two or more substances.not chemically combined |
| moon | natural satellite that revolves around a planet |
| moon phase | phrase that indicates the fraction of the Moons disc that is illuminated (as seen from Earth); the eight moon phases (in order): new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter. waxing gibbous full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent |
| nonrenewable resource | resource that can only be replenished over millions of years |
| organ | biological structure containing different tissues that are organized to carryy out a specific function of the body |
| organism | any living plant, animal, or fungus that maintains various vital processes necessary for life |
| photosynthesis | a chemical process by which plants trap light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates (sugars) |
| physical change | change in matter from one state to another, without forming new substances |
| planet | large body in space that orbits a star and does not produce light of its own |
| pollution | any alteration of the natural environment producing a conditionharmful to living organisms; may occur naturally or as a result of human activities |
| population | group of organisms of the same species living in a specific geographical area |
| potential energy | energy an object has because of its position or structure; stored energy |
| predator | organism that preys on and consumes animals; usually an animal |
| prey | organism caught or hunted for food by another organism |
| producer | organism that makes its own food from the environment; usually a green plant |
| protist | unicellular organisms belonging to the kingdom Protista |
| pulley | a type of simple machine; a circular lever, usually a wheel with a groove where a rope can be placed and used to change the direction of a force |
| reflection | bouncing off or turning back of light. sound, or heat from a surface |
| refraction | change in the direction of a wave that occurs as it passes from one medium to another of different density |
| renewable resource | resource that is replaced or restored by natural processes in a reasonable amount of time as it is used. |
| resource | any material that can be used to satisfy a need |
| scientific method | plan of inquiry that uses science process skills as tools to gather organize. analyze. and communicate information |
| sedimentary rock | rock formed from layers of sediment that overlay and squeeze together or are chemically combined |
| solar system | star and all the planets and other bodies that orbit it: region in space where these bodies move |
| solid | having a definite shape and a definite volume; one of the fundamental states of matter |
| solution | mixture of two or more substances uniformly dispersed throughout a single phase |
| star | large, gaseous, self-luminous body and powered by thermonuclear reactions |
| Sun | closest star to Earth; center of our solar system |
| system | set of objects, organisms, or different parts working together to form a whole |
| tissue | similar cells acting to perform a specific function: four basic types of tissue are muscle, connective, nerve, and epidermal |
| topography | surface, shape, and composition of a land area |
| universe | the total sum of all matter and energy that exists |
| volcano | vent or fissure in Earths surface through which magma and its associated materials are expelled; generally a mountain-like structure |
| volume | measure of the amount of space an object takes up: also the loudness of a sound or signal |
| water cycle | different phases water takes as it is being cycled through the environment including condensation. evaporation, and precipitation |
| weathering | natural processes that break down and change rock into soil, sand, and other materials: differs from erosion in that no transportation of those materials takes place |
| wheel and axle | type of simple machine: a circular frame or disk revolving around a central axis |
