Science Flash Cards

Front 1

abyssal plain

Back 1

any of the large, flat aras on the ocean floor

Front 2

acceleration

Back 2

the rate of change or speed or direction

Front 3

accuracy

Back 3

a measure of how close an instrument comes to the international standard

Front 4

acid

Back 4

a chemical that produces hydrogen ions when dissolved in water

Front 5

alloy

Back 5

a mixture of metal and another substance, usually improving on one or more properties of the original metal

Front 6

amplitutde

Back 6

the maximum distance a wave vibrates up and down from equilibrium

Front 7

asteroid

Back 7

a minor planet orbiting the Sun; most are found in a belt between Mars and Jupitar

Front 8

astrolabe

Back 8

a astronomical instrument invented by medieval rabs to calculate the position of celestial bodies

Front 9

atom

Back 9

the smallest particle of an element that has all the element's chemical properties

Front 10

atomic mass

Back 10

the combined number of protons and neutrons in an atom

Front 11

atomic number

Back 11

the number of protons in an atom's nucleous

Front 12

bar graph

Back 12

a graphic representation of data on similar things

Front 13

base

Back 13

a chemical substance that generates hydroxide ions when it dissolves in water

Front 14

bias

Back 14

a perspective that affects the way in which people interpret events and form beliefs

Front 15

big bang theory

Back 15

a theory that the universe began 10 to 20 billion years ago with an explosion from a single point and continues to expand outward

Front 16

calorie

Back 16

the scientific unit of heat measurement; 1 carie is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1g of water by 1 degree C

Front 17

chemical bond

Back 17

the force that connects molecules to one another

Front 18

chemical reaction

Back 18

the process by which valence electrons of one atom form bonds with the valence electrons of another atom

Front 19

circle graph

Back 19

a graphic representation of data showing percentages of a whole

Front 20

claim

Back 20

an assertion of truth

Front 21

climate

Back 21

weather conditions and patterns common to an area over long periods of time; includes rainfall, temperature, and atmospheric conditions

Front 22

cloning

Back 22

the process by which the nucleus of an animal's egg cell is replaced by the genetic material from regular animal body cell; can be used to create genetically identical tissues of even individuals

Front 23

coefficient

Back 23

a number used to balance a chemical equation so that the number of atoms of reactants and products are equal

Front 24

combustibility

Back 24

the ability of a chemical substance to burn

Front 25

comet

Back 25

a relatively small body made of rock, gases, and ice that was likely formed outside our solar system and now orbits the Sun

Front 26

compound

Back 26

a chemical substance that is made up of two or more different kinds of atoms that are bonded together

Front 27

compressional boundary

Back 27

the meeting zone of two tectonic plates at a reverse fault; the plates move into each other

Front 28

condensation

Back 28

the phrase change at which a gas cools and changes to a liquid form

Front 29

conduction

Back 29

a form of heat tranfer in which heat moves through an object without the object moving itself

Front 30

conductivity

Back 30

the property of a material that describes how easily it accepts of passes on electrons

Front 31

conservation of energy

Back 31

a scientific law that states that energy is neither created nor destroyed in any system but simply changes form

Front 32

conservation of mass

Back 32

a scientific law that states that the mass of the reactant will always be equal to the mass of the product: in other words, mass neither created nor destroyed in any system but simply changes form

Front 33

constraint

Back 33

any factor that increases the difficulty of a science investigation or limits the accessibility of scientific data

Front 34

continental drift

Back 34

the theory that states the continents are in slow motion atop a semiliquid mantle

Front 35

continental shelf

Back 35

the area of the ocean floor just off the coast

Front 36

continental slope

Back 36

the steep drop from the continental shelf to the ocean floor

Front 37

convection

Back 37

the movement of fluid masses from areas of high density to low density due to temperature or salinity differences

Front 38

convection current

Back 38

large-scale movement patterns of material due to differences in density

Front 39

core

Back 39

the innermost region of the Earth; it has two layers, the molten {liquid} outer core and the solid inner core

Front 40

covalent bonds

Back 40

a bond between elements in which the atoms share electrons

Front 41

crest

Back 41

the high point of a wave

Front 42

crust

Back 42

the outer layer of the Earth

Front 43

crustal plate

Back 43

one of the sections of the Earth's crust

Front 44

data

Back 44

information that decribes events of things, such as temperatures

Front 45

decompostion reaction

Back 45

a reaction in which a single substance is broken down into twoor more simplex substances