SCIENCE TAKS VOCABULARY

1.  ACCELERATION: A MEASURE OF THE RATE OF CHANGE IN THE SPEED OF AN OBJECT OVER TIME.

2.  ADATION: A BENIFICIAL TRAIT THAT ENABLES SPECIES TO SURVIVE AND REPRODUCE.

3.  AMPLITUDE: THE “HEIGHT” OF A WAVE—THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE MIDPOINT AND THE TOP OF THE CREST OR BOTTOM OF A TROUGH.

4.  ATOM: THE BASIC BUILDING BLOCK OF MATTER THAT HAS ALL THE PROPERTIES OF MATTER.

5.  BACTERIA: SINGLE-CELLED ORGANISMS THAT LACK A NUCLEUS.

6.  BIODIVERSITY: A MEASURE OF THE VARIETY OF LIVING THINGS IN AN ECOSYSTEM.

7.  BIOMASS: AN ESTIMATE OF THE BIOLOGICAL MASS OF ALL LIVING THINGS IN A GIVEN AREA.

8.  BUOYANCY: A FORCE THAT RESULTS WHEN OBJECTS DISPLACE A LIQUID OR A GAS.

9.  CARBON CYCLE: A SUMMARY OF HOW CARBON MOVES THROUGH AN ECOSYSTEM

10.              CELL: THE BASIC BUILDING BLOCK OF ALL KUVING THINGS THAT CAN PERFORM BASIC LIFE FUNCTIONS.

11.              CHEMICAL CHANGE: ANY CHANGE THAT ALTERS THE CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THE ATOMS OR MOLECULES IN AN OBJECT.

12.              CHEMICAL EQUATION: A SERIES OF CHEMICAL FORMULAS AND SYMBOLS THAT SHOW THE REACTANTS ANS PRODUCTS IN A REACTION.

13.              CHEMICAL FORMULA: SYMBOLS AND SUBSCRIPTS THAT IDENTIFY THE TYPE AND NUMBER OF ELEMENTS IN A SUBSTANCE.

14.              CHLOROPLAST: AN ORGANELLE IN A PLANT CELL THAT CARRIES OUT PHOTOSYNTHESIS.

15.              CIRCULATORY SYSTEM: A HUMAN BODY SYSTEM THAT TRANSPORTS NUTRIENTS AND WASTES THROUGHOUT THE BODY.

16.              COEFFICIENT: WHOLE NUMBER MULTIPLIER THAT APPEARS BEGORE A CHEMICAL EQUATION THAT IS USED TO BALANCE THE EQUATION.

17.              COMMENSALISM: A SYMBOLIC RELATIONSHIP WHERE ONE ORGANISM BENEFITS WITHOUT HARMING THE OTHER.

18.              CONCLUSION: AN INTERPRETATION BASED ON RESEARCH, EXPERIENCE AND DATA.

19.              CONDUCTION: A METHOD OF TRANSFERRING HEAT THAT INVOLVES DIRECT CONTACT.

20.              CONFIDENCE; THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY ONE FEELS THAT DATA, INFERENCES, AND THEORIES REFLECT AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF THE REAL WORLD.

21.              CONTROL GROUP: PART OF AN EXPERIMENT THAT IS NOT SUBJECTED TO THE VARIABLE SO THAT IT CAN BE COMPARED TO THE EXPERIMANTAL GROUP.

22.              CONVECTION: A METHOD OF TRANSFERRING HEAT WHERE THE MOVEMENT OF A LIQUID OR GAS CARRIES TE HEAT.

23.              COVALET BOND: A BOND THAT INVOLVES SHARING ELECTRONS BETWEEN TWO OR MORE ATOMS.

24.              DENSITY: A PROPERTY OF MATTER EQUAL TO THE MASS DIVIDED BY THE VOLUME.

25.              DEPENDENT VARIABLE: THE VARIABLE THAT MEASURES THE EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE.

26.              DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: A SYSTEM THAT BREAKS DOWN FOOD AND RELEASES THE STORED ENERGY.

27.              DISSOCIATE: WHEN AN IONIC COMPOUND SEPERATES INTO IONS IN A SOLUTION.

28.              DNA: A NUCLEIC ACID FOUND IN CELLS THAT CARRIES THE BLUEPRINTS OF THE CELL’S ACTIVITIES AND STORES AND TRANSMITS GENETIC INFORMATION.

29.              ECOSYSTEM: ALL OF THE LIVING AND NONLIVING PARTS INTERACTING IN A GIVEN AREA.

30.              ELECTROLYTE: A SOLUTION CONTAINING IONS THAT CONDUCTS ELECTRICITY.

31.              ELECTRONEGATIVITY: A MEASURE OF HOW STRONGLY AN ATOM WILL ATTRACT AN ELECTRON.

32.              ELEMENT: A SUBSTANCE MADE OF ONLY ONE KIND OF ATOM.

33.              ELDOPLASMIC RETICULUM: AN ORGANELLE THAT TRANSPORTS MATERIALS THROUGH THE CELL.

34.              ENERGY: THE ABILITY TO DO WORK.

35.              EVOLUTION: A PROCESS BY WHICH POPULATIONS OF LIVING THINGS CHANGE OVER TIME.

36.              EXPERIMENT: AN ARTIFICIAL SITUATION WHERE A SCIENTIST CONTROLS THE VARIABLES.

37.              EXPERIMENTAL GROUP: THE PART OF AN EXPERIMENT SUBJECTED TO CHANGE IN THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE.

38.              EXTINCTION: WHEN ALL MEMBERS OF A SPECIES DIE OUT.

39.              FLUID: A SUBSTANCE THAT FLOWS, TAKING THE SHAPE OF THE CONTAINER THAT HOKLDS IT, INCLUDING GASES AND LIQUIDS.

40.              FOOD CHAIN: THE FEEDING ORDER AMONG POPULATIONS THAT PREY ON ONE ANOTHER.

41.              FOODO WEB: TWO OR MORE INTERCONNECTED FOOD CHAINS.

42.              FREQUENCY: THE NUMBER OF WAVES THAT PASS A GIVEN POINT IN A GIVEN AMOUNT OF TIME.

43.              GLUCOSE: A MOLECULE CREATED DURING PHOTOSYNTHESIS THAT STORES LARGE AMOUNTS OF ENERGY.

44.              GLYCOLOSIS: A PRCOESS THAT BREAKS DOWN GLUCOSE INTO PYRUVIC ACID.

45.              GROUP: ONE OF 18 VERTICAL COLUMNS IN THE PERIODIC TABLE.

46.              HEAT: THE TRANSFER OF ENERGY AS A RESULT OF A TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE.

47.              HOMEOSTASIS: THE STATE IN WHICH A NATURAL SYSTEM IS BALANCED AND TENDS TO MAINTAIN THAT BALANCE; THE ABILITY OF A LIVING THING TO MAINTAIN THE CONSTANT INTERNAL ENVIRONMEANT NEEDED TO FUNCTION AND SURVIVE.

48.              Hypothesis: A possible, testable explanation to a scientific question.

49.              Immune System: A human body system that fights diseases and invaders.

50.              Inclined plane: A simple machine like a ramp.

51.              Independent variable: The variable changed by the experiment.

52.              Inference: A deduction or assumption based on observation.

53.              Investigation: The process by which two or more waves interact.

54.              Ion: A charged atom that has gained or lost electrons.

55.              Ionic bond: A bond formed by the electrostatic attraction between positively and negatively charged ions.

56.              Ionization: The process that occurs when a molecular compound separated into ions in a solution.

57.              Ionization energy: The amount of energy needed to remove an electron from an atom.

58.              Kinetic energy: Energy of motion.

59.              Kingdom: The largest group in the classification system.

60.              Law of Conservation of Mass: A physical law that states that mass cannot be created or destroyed, but only changed from one substance to another.

61.              Lever: A simple machine with a fulcrum.

62.              Lysosome: An organelle that breaks down large molecules in a cell.

63.              Mechanical advantage: A measure of the efficiency of a machine.

64.              Mitochondria: an organelle that makes energy in a cell.

65.              Momentum:  The product of the mass and speed of an object.

66.              Motor: A complex machine that supplies motion.

67.              Muscular system: A system that enables movement by contracting muscles.

68.              Mutation: A change in DNA.

69.              Mutualism:  A symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit.

70.              Natural selection: The theory that organisms with favorable traits are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass their adaptations to their offspring.

71.              Nervous system: A system that notices, transmits, processes, and responds to stimuli from the environment.

72.              Newton’s First Law: Objects in motion and objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force.

73.              Newton’s Second Law: Force equals mass times acceleration.

74.              Newton’s Third Law: For every force, there is an equal and opposite force.

75.              Nitrogen Cycle: A summary pf how nitrogen moves thru an ecosystem.

76.              Nucleic acid: Large, complex molecule made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

77.              Nucleotide: A phosphate, sugar, and single base joined together.

78.              Nucleus: An organelle in some cells that acts as the control center and contains the DNA.

79.              Nutrient: An atom or molecule that organisms use to carry out life processes.

80.              Organ: A collection of tissues.

81.              Organelle: Specialized structure in a cell.

82.              Oxidation number: A number related to an element’s group on the Periodic Table that determines how it bonds with other atoms.

83.              Parasitism: A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another.

84.              Period: One of seven horizontal rows on the Periodic Table.

85.              Periodic Table: A table that organizes the elements by increasing atomic number.

86.              Permeability: The ability to allow some materials to pass through.

87.              Phase change: A change from any one of the three states of matter—solid, liquid, or gas—to another.

88.              Phloem: The internal transport system in plants that carries nutrients “down” from the leaves.

89.              Phylogeny: A description of the evolutionary history of a related group of species.

90.              Physical change: A change in a material that alters the shape, size, or other property without changing the chemical makeup of the material.

91.              Plant: A multi-cellular organism, with cells that have a nucleus, chloroplasts, cell wall, and cell membrane.

92.              Polarization: Describes waves that vibrate in only one direction.

93.              Potential energy: Energy of position that is available for use.

94.              Precision: Describes how close the data in set of measurements are to one another.

95.              Predation: A feeding relationship where one animal species feeds on another animal.

96.              Protein synthesis: A process that takes place in a cell that uses DNA instructions to build proteins.

97.              Pulley: A simple machine with a grooved wheel and chain.

98.              Pyruvic acid: A by-product of the breakdown of glucose.

99.              Radiation: A method of transferring thermal energy that does not require a medium or physical contact.

100.          Reactivity: A measure of how likely an element is to form bonds with other elements.

101.          Reflection: When waves bounce off a surface.

102.          Refraction: When waves bend upon entering a new medium.

103.          Replication: A process by which DNA copies itself.

104.          Reproductive system: A system that manages the creation of offspring.

105.          Resonance: A process that occurs when a wave vibrates at a “natural” frequency and allows the most efficient transfer of energy.

106.          Respiratory system: A system that delivers oxygen to the circulatory system and helps remove carbon dioxide.

107.          Ribosome: An organelle that performs protein synthesis in a cell.

108.          RNA:  A structure similar to DNA that codes information and is involved in cell operations.

109.          Specific Ethics: Guidelines that attempt to minimize the risk to experimental subject and the environment

110.          Scientific Method: A series of steps that guide the search for answers to a scientific question.

111.          Simple Machine: Devices including levers, pulleys, inclined planes, and wheel-and-axle systems that change the size and/or direction of force.

112.          Skeletal System: A system that provides structure and shape.

113.          Solubility: Describes the maximum amount of a solute that will form a saturated solution at a given temperature and pressure.

114.          Speciation: The evolution of a new species.

115.          Species: A population of organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

116.          Specific Heat: The amount of energy needed to raise one gram of material by one degree Celsius.

117.          Speed: A measure of the change in position of an object over time.

118.          Symbiosis: An interdependent relationship between two organisms.

119.          System: A collection of organs.

120.          Temperature: A measure of the average kinetic energy of the atoms/molecules in an object or system.

121.          Theory: A very well-supported scientific conclusion.

122.          Tissue: A group of several different kinds of cells working together to perform a specific function.

123.          Transcription: A process that takes place in a cell where DNA acts as a template to create mRNA

124.          Translation: A process that takes place in a cell where three-base codes create amino acids.

125.          Trophic Level: A step in a feeding relationship.

126.          Valence Electron: Electron available to be lost, gained, or shared when forming chemical bonds.

127.          Virus: A packet of genetic information that requires a living cell to reproduce.

128.          Viscosity: A measure of how quickly or slowly a fluid will flow.

129.          Water Cycle: A summary of how water moves through an ecosystem.

130.          Wave: A disturbance of a medium, such as air or water, that transfers energy from one place to another.

131.          Wavelength: The distance from any one point on a wave to the matching point on the next wave.

132.          Wheel and Axle: A simple machine with two attached rotating discs.

133.          Work: The product of force and the distance over which the force is applied.

134.          Xylem: The internal transport system in plants that carries the nutrients “up” from the roots.

135.          A: Negative; as in achromatic

136.          Ad: To or toward; as in adrenal.

137.          Af: Toward (a euphonic form of Ad); as in afferent.

138.          Amphi: Both or double; as in Amphibia

139.          Archae: Ancient; as in Archaeology, Archaeopteryx

140.          Auto: Self; as in autonomic.

141.          Bi: Two; as in binary, bilateral.

142.          Bi (os): Live; as in biology, biometry.

143.          Blast: Generating; as in blastoderm.

144.          Brachai: Arm; as in brachiation, brachiopoda.

145.          Branch: Gill; as in pleurobranch.

146.          Caecum: Blind sac or pocket; as in caecum.

147.          Cephal: Head; as in cephalic.

148.          Chlor: Green; as in chlorophyll

149.          Chondor: Cartilage; as in Chrondrichthyes

150.          Chrom: Color; as in chromatin, chromomere.

151.          Coel: Hollow; as in coeclom, Coelenterata, blastocel.

152.          Cyst: Pocket or capsule; as in statocyst, nematocyst.

153.          Cyt: Cell; as in cytology, erythrocyte.

154.          Dendr: Tree; as in dendrite

155.          Derm: Skin; as in ectoderm

156.          Di: Two or second; as in dimorphic, dissect

157.          Diplo: Double or folded; as in diploid

158.          Ect: Outer; as in ectoderm

159.          Ef: Away or outward (form of ex); as in efferent

160.          End: Inner; as in endoderm

161.          Enter: Intestine; as in achenteron

162.          Epi: Above or upon; as in epidermis, epiphyte

163.          Eu: Well or true; as in eugenics

164.          Ex: From out outer; as in excretion, exoskeleton

165.          Fer: Carry; as in Porifera, Rotifera

166.          Gaster: Tongue; as in hypoglossal

167.          Haem: Blood; as in haemocoel

168.          Hetero: Different; as in heterozygous

169.          Holo: Entire; as in holobastic

170.          Homo: Similar; as in homozygous, homologous

171.          Hyper: Over or beyond; as in hyperthyroidism

172.          Hypo: Under or less; as in hypodermic