Science Vocabulary to Know for EOC and Final Exam—Period 3A

Science is the knowledge gained by observing the natural world.

hypothesis an idea or explanation that is based on prior scientific research or observations and that
can be tested
controlled experiment an experiment that tests only one factor at a time by using a comparison of a
control group with an experimental group
variable a factor that changes in an experiment in order to test a hypothesis
meter the basic unit of length in the SI (symbol, m)
mass a measure of the amount of matter in an object
density the ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume of the substance
qualitative observation descriptive information that is not expressed as a number
quantitative observation information that is expressed in terms of quantity or numbers
observation the process of obtaining information by using the senses
independent variable in an experiment, the factor that is deliberately manipulated
dependent variable in an experiment, the factor that changes as a result of manipulation of one or
more other factors (the independent variables)
matter anything that has mass and takes up space
atom the smallest unit of an element that maintains the properties of that element
element a substance that cannot be separated or broken down into simpler substances by chemical
means.
compound a substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical
bonds
mixture a combination of two or more substances that are not chemically combined
physical property a characteristic of a substance that does not involve a chemical change, such as
density, color, or hardness
chemical property a property of matter that describes a substance’s ability to participate in chemical
reactions
law of conservation of mass the law that states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in
ordinary chemical and physical changes
physical change a change of matter from one form to another without a change in chemical
properties
chemical change a change that occurs when one or more substances change into entirely new
substances with different properties
liquid the state of matter that has a definite volume but not a definite shape
gas a form of matter that does not have a definite volume or shape
solid the state of matter in which the volume and shape of a substance are fixed
atom the smallest unit of an element that maintains the properties of that element
electron a subatomic particle that has a negative charge
nucleus in physical science, an atom’s central region, which is made up of protons and neutrons
electron cloud a region around the nucleus of an atom where electrons are likely to be found
proton a subatomic particle that has a positive charge and that is located in the nucleus of an atom
atomic mass unit a unit of mass that describes the mass of an atom or molecule
neutron a subatomic particle that has no charge and that is located in the nucleus of an atom
neutral lacking a net charge
atomic number the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom; the atomic number is the same for
all atoms of an element
isotope an atom that has the same number of protons (or the same atomic number) as other atoms of
the same element do but that has a different number of neutrons (and thus a different atomic mass)
period in chemistry, a horizontal row of elements in the periodic table
group a vertical column of elements in the periodic table; elements in a group share chemical
properties
valence electron an electron that is found in the outermost shell of an atom and that determines the
atom’s chemical properties
ion a charged particle that forms when an atom or group of atoms gains or loses one or more
electrons
covalent bond a bond formed when atoms share one or more pairs of electrons
precipitate a solid that is produced as a result of a chemical reaction in solution
exothermic reaction a chemical reaction in which heat is released to the surroundings
endothermic reaction a chemical reaction that requires heat
law of conservation of energy the law that states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but
can be changed from one form to another
inertia the tendency of an object to resist being moved or, if the object is moving, to resist a change
in speed or direction until an outside force acts on the object
temperature a measure of how hot (or cold) something is; specifically, a measure of the average
kinetic energy of the particles in an object
heat the thermal energy transferred between objects that are at different temperatures
thermal energy the kinetic energy of a substance’s atoms
thermal conduction the transfer of energy as heat through a material
thermal conductor a material through which energy can be transferred as heat
thermal insulator a material that reduces or prevents the transfer of heat
convection the transfer of thermal energy by the circulation or movement of a liquid or gas
radiation the transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves
spectrum the band of colors produced when white light passes through a prism
apparent magnitude the brightness of a star as seen from Earth
absolute magnitude the brightness that a star would have at a distance of 32.6 light-years from
Earth
light-year the distance that light travels in one year; about 9.46 trillion kilometers
parallax an apparent shift in the position of an object when viewed from different locations
red giant a large, reddish star late in its life cycle
white dwarf a small, hot, dim star that is the leftover center of an old star
H-R diagram Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a graph that shows the relationship between a star’s
surface temperature and absolute magnitude
main sequence the location on the H-R diagram where most stars lie; it has a diagonal pattern from
the lower right (low temperature and luminosity) to the upper left (high temperature and luminosity)
supernova a gigantic explosion in which a massive star collapses and throws its outer layers into
space
neutron star a star that has collapsed under gravity to the point that the electrons and protons have
smashed together to form neutrons
pulsar a rapidly spinning neutron star that emits pulses of radio and optical energy
black hole an object so massive and dense that even light cannot escape its gravity
galaxy a collection of stars, dust, and gas bound together by gravity
nebula a large cloud of gas and dust in interstellar space; a region in space where stars are born
globular cluster a tight group of stars that looks like a ball and contains up to 1 million stars
open cluster a group of stars that are close together relative to surrounding stars
quasar quasi-stellar radio source; a very luminous object that produces energy at a high rate; quasars
are thought to be the most distant objects in the universe

cell in biology, the smallest unit that can perform all life processes and cells are covered by a
membrane and have DNA and cytoplasm
nucleus in a eukaryotic cell, a membrane-bound organelle that contains the cell’s DNA and that has a
role in processes such as growth, metabolism, and reproduction
prokaryote an organism that consists of a single cell that does not have a nucleus and has no
membrane-bound organelles
photosynthesis the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria use sunlight, carbon dioxide,
and water to make food
cellular respiration the process by which cells use oxygen to produce energy from food
mitosis in eukaryotic cells, a process of cell division that forms two new nuclei, each of which has the
same number of chromosomes
asexual reproduction reproduction that does not involve the union of sex cells and in which a single
parent produces offspring that are genetically identical to the parent
sexual reproduction reproduction in which sex cells from two parents unite to produce offspring that
share traits from both parents
gene one set of instructions for an inherited trait
meiosis a process in cell division during which the number of chromosomes decreases to half the
original number by two divisions of the nucleus, which results in the production of sex cells
allele one of the alternative forms of a gene that governs a characteristic, such as hair color
dominance the tendency of certain (dominant) alleles to mask the expression of their corresponding
(recessive) alleles
recessive describes an allele that will be masked unless the organism is homozygous for the trait
homozygous describes an individual that has identical alleles for a trait on both homologous
chromosomes
heterozygous describes an individual that has two different alleles for a trait
Punnett square a graphic used to predict the results of a genetic cross
adaptation a characteristic that improves an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce in a
particular environment
natural selection the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment
survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals do
ecology the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment
biotic describes living factors in the environment
abiotic describes the nonliving part of the environment, including water, rocks, light, and temperature
population a group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area
community all of the populations of species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other
ecosystem a community of organisms and their abiotic, or nonliving, environment
food web a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem
energy pyramid a triangular diagram that shows an ecosystem’s loss of energy, which results as
energy passes through the ecosystem’s food chain
carrying capacity the largest population that an environment can support at any given time
symbiosis a relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other
mutualism a relationship between two species in which both species benefit
commensalism a relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other
is unaffected
parasitism a relationship between two species in which one species, the parasite, benefits from the
other species, the host, which is harmed
coevolution the evolution of two species that is due to mutual influence, often in a way that makes
the relationship more beneficial to both species