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52 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
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Organized, logical approaches to scientific research.
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ECOSYSTEM
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Community of organisms and the environment they inhabit.
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BIODEGRADABLE
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Able to be broken down into component parts by microorganisms.
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ERATOSTHENES
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Greek mathematician whoused careful observations and simple geometry to determine the circumference of Earth (distance around the Earth)
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VARIABLE
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A factor in an experiment that can be changed.
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BIG BANG THEORY
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Theory that allmatter and energy in the universe was compressed into an extremely small volume that suddenly, billions of years ago, began expanding in all directions.
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ECOLOGIST
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One who studies the complex relationships between living things and their environment.
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GEOLOGIST
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One who studies the origin, history and structure of the solid earth and the processes that shape it.
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METEOROLOGIST
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One who studies the earth's atmosphere.
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ASTRONOMER
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One who studies the universe beyond the earth.
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OCEANOGRAPHER
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One who studies the earth's oceans.
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METEORITE-IMPACT
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Meteor or part of a meteor left after it hits the earth's surface.
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HYPOTHESIS
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Possible explanation of a problem that is based on facts.
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IRIDIUM
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A substance that is uncommon in earth rocks, but common in meteorites.
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LIGHT WAVES
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Light travels in waves. The distance from the crest of one wave to the crest of the next is a wavelength. Each color in the spectrum has a different wave length. Red is longest and violet is shortest. As light passes through prism, each wave length is bent at a different angle and the band of colors results.
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ASTHENOSPHERE
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Zone of mantle beneath the lithosphere that consists of slowly flowing solid rock.
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LITHOSPHERE
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Thin outer shell of the earth consisting of the crust and the rigid upper mantle.
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GEOSPHERE
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The solid earth.
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P WAVES
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One of two types of seismic waves. P waves travel through liquids, solids, and gases.P waves travel faster. The speed and direction is affected by the composition of the material through which it travels.
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S WAVES
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One of two types of seismic waves. S waves travel only through solids.
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LAW OF GRAVITATION
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Principle that the force of attraction between two objects depends on the masses and distance between the objects.
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PERIGEE
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Point in the orbit of a satellite at which it is closest to the earth.
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APOGEE
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Point in the orbit of a satellite at which the satellite is farthest from the earth.
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PERIHELION
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Point in the orbit of a planet at which it is closest to the sun.
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MOHO
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The Mohorovicic discontinuity, boundary between the earth's crust and mantle.
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MASS OF OBJECT
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The amount of matter in an object.
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POLAR ORBIT
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Orbit that passes over the earth's North and South poles.
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GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT
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A satellite in orbit always remains at the same point above the equator and appears to be stationary in the sky.
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GREAT CIRCLE
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Any circle that divides the globe in half.
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LONGITUDE
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Angular distance east or west of the prime meridian.
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LATITUDE
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Angular distance north or south of the equator.
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PRIME MERIDIAN
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The Meridian that passes through Greenwich,England, designated as O
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ATOMS
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Smallest unit of an element.
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IONIC
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ionic bond: bond in which electrons are transferred from one atom to another. ionic compound: compound formed through the transfer of electrons.
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COVALENT
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covalent bond: bond based on the attraction between atoms that share electrons. convalent compound: compound formed from atoms that share electrons.
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NUCLEUS
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Region in the center of an atom that contains the protons and neutrons.
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ELECTRONS
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Subatomic particle with a negative electrical charge.
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PROTONS
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Subatomic particle with a positive electrical charge.
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NEUTRONS
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Subatomic particle with no electrical charge.
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BACKGROUND RADIATION
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Lowlevels of energy evenly distributed throughout the universe.
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RED SHIFT
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Apparent lengthening of the light waves emitted by a star moving away from the earth.
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SALINITY
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The total amount of dissolved salts in the ocean water.
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PLANKTON
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The group of organisms, generally microscopic, that float or drift near the ocean surface.
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PHYTOPLANKTON
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The group, usually microscopic
plantlike protists that live near the surface of the ocean with the ocean currents. |
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ZOOPLANKTON
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The group of tiny animals, usually microscopic, that float or drift near the ocean surface.
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SEDIMENT
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Bits of weathered rocks and minerals and pieces of dead plants or animals.
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INVERTEBRATES
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Animals with no backbones.
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PHOTOSYNTHESIS
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The process by which green plants and other producers use light energy to make food.
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NEKTON
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All the free swimming animals that live in the ocean. The nekton group includes such active animals as fish, octopuses, and whales.
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BENTHOS
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All the plants and animals that live on the ocean bottom. The benthos group includes oysters, crabs and coral.
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CHLOROPHYLL
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Chloroplasts contain a green chemical called chlorophyll that is able to capture or absorb the light energy in sunlight.
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RESPIRATION
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The process of using oxygen to release stored energy by breaking down sugar molecules.
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