Sixth Grade Science Vocabulary

Front 1

abrasion

Back 1

wearing away by scraping or rubbing; often refers to a kind of weathering

Front 2

acid rain

Back 2

rain that has a lower pH than normal; caused by chemical air pollutants combining with water vapor

Front 3

air mass

Back 3

a large body of air that has about the same temperature and humidity throughout it

Front 4

air pollution

Back 4

contamination of the air with substances that can be harmful to living things

Front 5

air pressure

Back 5

a measure of the weight of the atmosphere per unit of area on Earth's surface

Front 6

barometer

Back 6

instrument used to measure air pressure

Front 7

altitude

Back 7

height above sea level

Front 8

anemometer

Back 8

instrument used to measure wind speed

Front 9

asteriods

Back 9

objects made of rock, metal, and ice that are much smaller than planets, and revolve around the sun; most asteroids have orbits between Mars and Jupiter in what is called the ASTEROID belt

Front 10

astronomy

Back 10

is the study of space

Front 11

atmosphere

Back 11

the layer of air/gases surrounding the Earth

Front 12

atom

Back 12

the smallest particle into which an element can be divided and still have the properties of that element

Front 13

molecule

Back 13

the smallest particle into which a compound can be divided and still have the properties of the compound

Front 14

atomic number

Back 14

number of protons in a nucleus ofone atome of an element

Front 15

axis

Back 15

imaginary line passing through the center of the planet; the planet spins around it

Front 16

bar graph

Back 16

graph that uses bars of different lengths to compare data; usually used with data that we count

Front 17

line of best fit

Back 17

line on a graph that most closely fits a set of data points that share a trend; also called a trend line

Front 18

biomass

Back 18

Energy Resource which is renewable; matter formed by plants and animals that is used as a fuel; example: wood

Front 19

biosphere

Back 19

the part of the Earth that is able to support life

Front 20

boiling point

Back 20

temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid state to a gaseous state (vapor); same as the condensation point for that substance

Front 21

bouyancy

Back 21

a tendency of an object to float or rise in a fluid that is more dense that the object is

Front 22

Celcius

Back 22

temperature scale in which the freezing point of water is 0 degrees and the boiling point is 100 degrees

Front 23

chemical bond

Back 23

force of attraction that holds together atoms in a compound

Front 24

chemical change

Back 24

occurs when one or more substances are changed into new substances with different properties; it cannot be undone by physical means

examples: burning of wood; burning a candle/match

Front 25

chemical energy

Back 25

energy stored in chemical bonds

Front 26

chemical equation

Back 26

a way of writing changes in the arrangement off atoms during a chemical reaction using chemical symbols

Front 27

chemical property

Back 27

ability of a substance to change into a new substance with different properties by combining with other substances

Front 28

chemical reaction

Back 28

change that takes place when two or more substances (reactants) interact to form new substances (products)

Front 29

chemical weathering

Back 29

wearing away of rocks by chemical processes such as oxidation or dissolving

Front 30

chloroflourocarbons (CFCs)

Back 30

substances that were formerly used in spray cans, refrigerators and air conditioners

Front 31

cirro- (cirrus)

Back 31

very high wispy clouds made of ice crystalss

Front 32

class

Back 32

division of organisms classified below phylum and above order

Front 33

climate

Back 33

a general pattern of weather in a particular part of the world over a long period of time

Front 34

coal

Back 34

solid fossil fuel, formed deep with Earth over millions of years

Front 35

oil or petroleum

Back 35

liquid fossil fuel, formed deep within Earth over millions of years

Front 36

natural gas

Back 36

gas fossil fuel formed deep within Earth over millions of years.

Front 37

cloud

Back 37

group of tiny liquid water droplets hanging in the air

Front 38

cold front

Back 38

leading edge of a cold air mass that is pushing a warm air mass

Front 39

colloid

Back 39

mixture which small clumps of molecules of one substance are evenly spread throughout another substance and do not settle out

Front 40

combustion

Back 40

rapid oxidation also called burning which is a chemical reaction

Front 41

comet

Back 41

solar system object made mostly of ice, which follows a long narrow orbit around the sun.

Front 42

compound

Back 42

a pure substance ; matter made of two or more elements bonded through a chemical bond

Front 43

condensation

Back 43

a physical change from liquid to a gas
process in which matter changes from a gaseous state to a liquid state

Front 44

conduction

Back 44

transfer of heat from warmer substance to a cooler substance through direct contact

Front 45

conductor

Back 45

substance that conducts heat/electricity readily

Front 46

conservation

Back 46

the wise use and protection of natural resources

Front 47

control

Back 47

factor in an experiment that is use for comparison

Front 48

convection

Back 48

transfer of thermal energy in a fluid (liquid or gas) in which fluid rises and cooler fluid sinks

Front 49

Coriolis effect

Back 49

effect that Earth's rotation has on the path of air and water moving at or above its surface causing the fluid's path to curve

Front 50

Covalent bond

Back 50

chemical bond in which atoms share one or more electrons

Front 51

creep

Back 51

a type of erosion in which soil and sediments move slowly downhill

Front 52

cumulo- cumulus

Back 52

thick clouds piled up in masses

Front 53

data

Back 53

collected information, the results of an experiment or other investigation

Front 54

qualitative data

Back 54

is descriptive usually describing information gather using our senses (color)

Front 55

quantitative data

Back 55

includes numbers in the data

Front 56

delta

Back 56

a fan-shaped sediment deposit formed at the mouth of a rive

Front 57

density

Back 57

amount of mass in a given amount of space

d=mass /volume

Front 58

dependent variable

Back 58

also know as the responding variable; factor whose value is the result you are testing/measuring

Front 59

deposition

Back 59

process by which wind, water, and gravity leave eroded sediments in new locations

Front 60

dew

Back 60

water vapor from the atmosphere that has condensed into water droplets on a surface

Front 61

dichotomous key

Back 61

a system used for identifying plants, animals, rocks or minerals, that is made up of a series of paired descriptions to choose between.

Front 62

diffusion

Back 62

movement of molecules from an area where it is in higher concentration to an area where it is in an area of lower concentration

Front 63

displacement

Back 63

one substance or object moving another object or taking its place

Think : water displacement in determining the volume of a rock

Front 64

divide

Back 64

ridge that separates two watersheds

Front 65

doldrums

Back 65

low air pressure band near the equator where there is little wind

Front 66

Doppler effect

Back 66

change in the apparent frequency of a wave because either the source of the wave is moving toward or away from the observer

Front 67

balance

Back 67

used to measure/determine the mass of an object

Front 68

watershed

Back 68

area of land that drains water from higher land to lower land and into a stream or river

Front 69

eclipse

Back 69

when one solar system object passes between the Sun and another object

Front 70

El Nino

Back 70

unusually warm ocean current that occurs in the eastern Pacific near the equator and shifts ocean current patters

Front 71

electron

Back 71

negatively charged particle found outside the nucleus of an atom

Front 72

element

Back 72

substances that are the building blocks of all matter

Front 73

endothermic reaction

Back 73

reaction in which energy is absorbed (turns cold)

Front 74

exothermic reaction

Back 74

reaction in which energy is given off (gets hot)

Front 75

energy resources

Back 75

resources that provide energy; includes fossil fuels, biomass, geothermal energy, solar energy, hydroelectric energy, nuclear energy and wind energy

Front 76

environment

Back 76

surroundings and conditions in which an organisms

Front 77

vernal equinox

Back 77

the beginning of spring

Front 78

autumnal equinox

Back 78

marks the beginning of autumn or fall

Front 79

erosion

Back 79

movement of weathered rock (sediment) by wind, water, ice or gravity

Front 80

estuary

Back 80

region where the river flows into the ocean and fresh river water mixes with salty ocean water; water is said to be BRACKISH

Front 81

evaporation

Back 81

change of mater from a liquid to a gas

Front 82

evolution

Back 82

theory based on scientific evidence that describes how organisms change over many generations

Front 83

freezing point

Back 83

temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid state to a solid state

Front 84

melting point

Back 84

temperature at which a substances changes from a solid state to liquid state

Front 85

front

Back 85

place where two air masses of different temperatures and pressures meet

Front 86

fusion

Back 86

combining of lighter elements into nuclei of heavier elements

Front 87

gas

Back 87

matter that has no definite volume or shape

Front 88

generator

Back 88

machine that converts mechanical energy into electric energy

Front 89

geothermal energy

Back 89

energy obtained from thermal energy inside the Earth

Front 90

glacier

Back 90

large mass of ice and snow that exists year round and is involved in erosion

Front 91

global warming

Back 91

an increase in the world's average temperature, possibly caused in part by fossil fue use

Front 92

graduated cylinder

Back 92

glass container with markings, used to measure volume of liquids

Front 93

grassland

Back 93

large land region in which the main types of plants are grasses

Front 94

ground water

Back 94

water collected in cracks and spaces in the rocks and sediments beneath Earth's surface

Front 95

nuclear wastes

Back 95

by products of the nuclear energy industry which we have problems disposing

Front 96

heat energy

Back 96

thermal energy