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34 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Humus
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The decayed remains of once-living creatures.
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Catastrophism
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The view that most of earth's geological features are the result of large-scale catastrophes such as floods, volcanic eruptions, etc.
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Blind studies
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Experiments in which the participants do not know whether or not they are a part of the control group.
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Mechanical advantage
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The amount by which force or motion is magnified in a simple machine.
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Diameter
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The length of a straight line that travels from one side of a circle to another, while passing through the center of a circle.
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Double-blind studies
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Experiments in which neither the participants nor the people analyzing the results know who is in the control group.
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Weathering
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The process by which rocks are broken down by the forces of nature.
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Control (of an experiment)
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The variable or part of the experiment to which all others can be compared.
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Uniformitarianism
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The view that most of earth's geological features are the result of slow, gradual processes that have been at work for millions or even billions of years.
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Dendrochronology
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The process of counting tree rings to determine the age of a tree.
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Unconformity
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A surface of erosion that separates one layer of rock from another.
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Simple machine
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A device that reduces the amount of force needed to perform a task or changes the direction of a force.
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Papyrus
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A primitive form of paper, made from a long-leafed plant of the same name.
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Experimental variable
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An aspect of an experiment which changes during the course of the experiment.
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Absolute age
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The calculated age of an artifact when a specific dating method is used to determine when the artifact was made.
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Geology
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The study of earth's history as revealed in the rocks that make up the earth.
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Artifact
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Objects made by humans such as tools, weapons, containers, etc.
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Erosion
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The process by which sediments and rock fragments are carried away by wind or rain.
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Life science
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A term that encompasses all scientific pursuits related to living organisms.
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Minerals
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Inorganic crystalline substances found naturally in the earth.
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Radiometric dating
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Using a radioactive process to determine the age of an item.
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Hypothesis
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An educated guess that attempts to explain an observation or answer a question.
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Circumference
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The distance around a circle, equal to 3.1415 times the circle's distance.
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Archaeology
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The study of past human life as revealed by preserved relics.
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Theory
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A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data.
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Scientific law
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A theory that has been tested by and is consistent with generations of data.
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Counter-example
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An example that contradicts a scientific conclusion.
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Known age
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The age of an artifact as determined by a date printed on it, or a reference to a artifact in a work of history.
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Force
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A push or pull that changes the motion of an object.
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The Principle of Superposition
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When artifacts are found in rock or earth that is layered, the deeper layers hold the older artifacts.
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Aristotle's dictum
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The benefit of the doubt is to be given to the document itself, not assigned by the critic to himself.
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Paleontology
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The study of life's history as revealed in the preserved remains of once-living plants and animals.
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Science
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A branch of study dedicated to the accumulation and classification of observable facts in order to formulate general laws about the natural world
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Spontaneous generation
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The idea that living organisms can be spontaneously formed from non-living substances.
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