Science Vocab Chp.3

Front 1

science of making maps

Back 1

cartography

Front 2

map projection in which the meridians converge at the poles;
the parallels appear as equally spaced, concentric curves

Back 2

conic projection

Front 3

difference in elevation between one contour line and the
next

Back 3

contour interval

Front 4

line on a map connecting points with the same elevation

Back 4

contour line

Front 5

contour line with short, straight lines drawn along the
inside of the loop pointing toward its center that indicates a depression

Back 5

depression contour

Front 6

height above sea level

Back 6

elevation

Front 7

point on the Earth’s surface above a pole of the Earth’s
imaginary internal magnet

Back 7

geomagnetic poles

Front 8

map projection in which the parallels appear as unevenly
spaced, concentric circles, the meridians appear as straight lines radiating from a
central point, and all other great circles appear as straight lines

Back 8

gnomonic poles

Front 9

any circle that divides the globe in half

Back 9

great poles

Front 10

every fifth contour line on a topographic map that is printed
bolder for reference

Back 10

index contour

Front 11

angular distance north or south of the equator

Back 11

latitude

Front 12

angular distance east or west of the prime meridian

Back 12

longitude

Front 13

list of map symbols and their meanings

Back 13

legend

Front 14

angle between the direction of the Earth’s geographic
pole and the direction in which a compass needle points

Back 14

magentic declination

Front 15

lat map that represents a three-dimensional curved
surface

Back 15

map projection

Front 16

point midway between the highest and lowest tide levels of the
ocean

Back 16

mean sea level

Front 17

map projection in which the meridians appear as straight,
parallel, evenly spaced lines and form a grid with the parallels, which appear as
straight, parallel, and unevenly spaced lines

Back 17

Mercator projection

Front 18

semicircle on the Earth that runs from pole to pole

Back 18

meridian

Front 19

any circle that runs east and west around the Earth parallel to the
equator

Back 19

parallel

Front 20

map made by fitting together a series of conic projections
of adjoining areas

Back 20

polyconic projection

Front 21

the meridian that passes through Greenwich, England,
designated as 0°

Back 21

prime meridian

Front 22

difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points of an
area

Back 22

relief

Front 23

relationship between distance shown on a map and actual distance

Back 23

scale

Front 24

map that shows the surface features of the Earth

Back 24

topographic map

Front 25

surface features of the Earth

Back 25

topography

Front 26

direction of the geographic North Pole

Back 26

true north

Front 27

study of the universe beyond the Earth

Back 27

astronomy

Front 28

thick blanket of gases surrounding the Earth

Back 28

atmosphere

Front 29

low levels of energy evenly distributed throughout the
universe

Back 29

background radiation

Front 30

theory that all matter and energy in the universe was
compressed into an extremely small volume that suddenly, billions of years ago,
began expanding in all directions

Back 30

big bang theory

Front 31

able to be broken down into component parts by
microorganisms

Back 31

biodegradable

Front 32

ecosystem encompassing all the life on Earth and the physical
environment that supports it

Back 32

biosphere

Front 33

apparent shift in the wavelength of energy, such as a sound wave
or a light wave, emitted by a source moving away from or toward an
observer

Back 33

Doppler Effect

Front 34

study of the Earth and the universe around it

Back 34

Earth Science

Front 35

study of the complex relationships between living things and their
environment

Back 35

ecology

Front 36

community of organisms and the environment they inhabit

Back 36

ecosystem

Front 37

substance that has a characteristic set of physical and chemical
properties

Back 37

element

Front 38

process by which a scientific procedure is carried out
according to certain guidelines

Back 38

experimentation

Front 39

study of the origin, history, and structure of the solid Earth and the
processes that shape it

Back 39

geology

Front 40

the solid Earth

Back 40

geosphere

Front 41

all the Earth’s water

Back 41

hydrosphere

Front 42

possible explanation of a problem that is based on facts

Back 42

hypothesis

Front 43

comparison of a property of an object or phenomenon with a
standard unit

Back 43

measurements

Front 44

study of the Earth’s atmosphere

Back 44

meterology

Front 45

act of using the senses to gather information

Back 45

observation

Front 46

study of the Earth’s oceans

Back 46

oceanography

Front 47

contamination of the environment with waste products or
impurities

Back 47

pollution

Front 48

rule that correctly describes a natural phenomenon

Back 48

scientific law

Front 49

organized, logical approaches to scientific research

Back 49

scientific method

Front 50

instrument that splits white light into a band of colors

Back 50

spectroscope

Front 51

band of the various colors of light

Back 51

spectrum

Front 52

hypothesis or set of hypotheses supported by the results of
experimentation and observation

Back 52

theory

Front 53

factor in an experiment that can be changed

Back 53

variable

Front 54

distance between wave crests

Back 54

wavelengths