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116 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Lithosphere
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Earth’s interior. The Earth’s solid surface to include continental and oceanic crust and the upper mantle
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Hydrosphere
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Includes all of the water (solid, gas & liquid) on the Earth
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Atmosphere
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The gaseous layer that surrounds the Earth. It protects us from Ultra Violet Rays
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Biosphere
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All life on Earth to include plants, animals and man
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Anthrosphere
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Human construction (everything we build)
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Ecology
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The study of organisms and their interactions with their environment (abiotic and biotic factors) upon which determine distribution and abundance of the organisms
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Distribution
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The area a species inhabits
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Abundance
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The amount or number of a species in a community
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Environment
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Surroundings of an organism with which it interacts to include biotic and abiotic factors
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Energy Flow
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The flow of energy through an ecosystem
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Cycles
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The cyclic motion of matter through an ecosystem
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Diversity
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The variety of biotic and abiotic factors within an ecosystem
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Community
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a collection of populations of different species, interacting with one another
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Interrelationships
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Interaction of organisms with one another and their surroundings
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Change
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Biotic and abiotic factors that continually change due to interactions
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Adaptation
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The ability of living organisms to cope with environmental change which then can be passed on to future generations
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Evaporation
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Heating of surface water to water vapor
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Condensation
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Cooling of water vapor within the clouds
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Precipitation
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The release of water from the clouds
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Infiltration
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The movement of water into the ground
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Runoff
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The movement of water on the surface of the ground
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Ground Water
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The movement of water within the ground
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Evapotranspiration
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Release of water vapor from plants
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System
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A set of parts that interact/work with each other
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Autotroph
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An organism that makes its own food
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Producer
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An organism that makes its own food
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Photosynthesis
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Conversion of sun’s energy to food energy
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Consumer
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Organism which obtains its energy by the consumption of other organisms
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Heterotroph
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Organism which obtains its energy by the consumption of other organisms
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Cellular Respiration
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Process by which chemical bonds (food/ glusose energy) are converted to usable energy
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Primary Consumer
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Herbivore/plant eater
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Secondary Consumer
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Second consumer in a food chain/food web
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Tertiary Consumer
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Third consumer in a food chain/food web
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Decomposer
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Organism which obtains its energy from dead or decaying organisms, thus returning nutrients into the soil
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Food Chain
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A pathway in which energy flows through an ecosystem
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Food Web
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All possible pathways in which energy flows through an ecosystem
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Energy Pyramid
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Graphical representation to show the relationship between energy and trophic levels of a given ecosystem
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power
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work performed in a certain period of time
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Herbivore
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Plant eater
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Omnivore
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Meat and plant eater
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Carnivore
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Meat eater
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Trophic Level
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The position that an organism occupies in a food chain - what it eats, and what eats it
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Water Cycle
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the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth
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Biotic
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Living or once living
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Abiotic
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Nonliving
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Niche
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The role of an organism within an ecosystem
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Habitat
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An organism’s home/address
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Nitrogen fixing bacteria
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Oranism that change nitrogen gas to nitrates
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Proteins
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Major building block of all organisms
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Ntrite bacteria
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Organisms that change ammonia to nitrate
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Biome
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A large geographical area of distinctive plant and animal groups, which are adapted to that particular environment
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Predator
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An organism that feeds on what it hunts and kills
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Prey
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A species that is hunted and killed for food
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Scavenger
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A species that feeds off of dead organisms that they did not hunt or kill themselves
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Tundra
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an area where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons
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fecal coliform
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the bacteria present in the intestines of warm blooded organisms
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generator
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converts mechanical energy to electrical energy (parts: magnet and coil of wire)
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Desert
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region that receives very little precipitation (less than grasslands)
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Symbiosis
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A close relationship between two different types of organisms
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Mutualism
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A close relationship where both organisms benefit
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Commensalism
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A close relationship where one organism benefits and the other remains unharmed
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Parasitism
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The close relationship where one organism benefits and the other is harmed
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Population
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organisms of a particular species, living in a given geographic area
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Species
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a group of the same organisms that are able to reproduce naturally to produce fertile offspring
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Ecosystem
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An interacting system that consists of both biotic and abiotic factors (i.e. pond, forest, etc.)
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Succession
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Series of changes in a community over time
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Global Warming
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Increase in the Earth’s average temperature
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Global Climate Change
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Change in average weather conditions in a region over a long period of time
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Deciduous
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Loss of leaves on trees/shrubs to prevent water/nutrient loss during winter
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Topography
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The study of Earth land forms
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Contour Line
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A line on a map that connects points of equal elevation
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Contour Interval
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The distance in elevation between two contour lines
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Slope
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The steepness of the land
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Elevation
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The height of the land above some point
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Aspect
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The compass direction toward which the land slopes
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Ridge
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A line of higher elevation
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Divide
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Ridge separating two watersheds
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Stream
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a body of water with a detectable current, confined within a bed and banks
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Headwater
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The original point from which the river flows
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Mouth
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The end point to which a river flows out of
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Watershed
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The land area from which surface runoff and groundwater flows into a particular river, lake, stream, pond, or other body of water
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Impervious
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Solid surface (groundcover) in which water cannot pass, i.e. asphalt
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First Order Stream
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Primary tributary in a river system
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Dissolved Oxygen
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The amount of oxygen dissolved in water
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Biochemical Oxygen Demand
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Amount of oxygen needed for decomposition by decomposers
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Fecal Coliform
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the bacteria present in the intestines of warm-blooded organisms
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pH
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The measurement of H+ ions in a solution
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Temperature
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The measurement of heat within the water
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Nitrate
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The amount of nitrates in the water
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Phosphates
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The amount of phosphates in the water
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Turbidity
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The cloudiness of the water
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Total solids
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suspended and dissolved solids in the water
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Overall Water Quality Index
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Combinaion of all water tests to indicate water quality
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Macroinvertebrates
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Organisms without a backbone which can be viewed with the unaided eye
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Energy
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The ability to do work or transfer heat
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Work
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Work is done on an object when the object is forced to move. Work equals force times distance
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Potential Energy
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Stored energy
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Kinetic Energy
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Energy in motion
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Heat
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The total energy of the particles in an object
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Radiant
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The energy associated with waves of light
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Mechanical
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The energy associated with the motion or position of an object
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Chemical
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The potential energy stored in chemical bonds that hold chemical compounds together
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Electrical
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The energy associated with moving electric charges
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Nuclear
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The potential energy associated with the nucleus of an atom
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First Law of Thermodynamics
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Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it can only change form
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Second Law of Thermodynamics
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When energy is changed from one form to another, some energy is always lost as heat. 100% of energy cannot be converted into useful work
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Entropy
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law of disorder
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Turbine
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A device that uses mechanical energy to turn a generator
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Generator
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Converts mechanical energy to electrical energy (parts: magnet and coil of wire)
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Renewable
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Resources that can be replenished rapidly (hours to decades)
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Nonrenewable
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Resources that would take millions to billions of years to replenish
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conductor
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allows electrons to flow through it
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INSULATOR
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Does not allow electrons to follow through it
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