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97 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
abrasion |
wearing away by scraping or rubbing; often refers to a kind of weathering |
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acid rain |
rain that has a lower pH than normal; caused by chemical air pollutants combining with water vapor |
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air mass |
a large body of air that has about the same temperature and humidity throughout it |
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air pollution |
contamination of the air with substances that can be harmful to living things |
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air pressure |
a measure of the weight of the atmosphere per unit of area on Earth's surface |
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barometer |
instrument used to measure air pressure |
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altitude |
height above sea level |
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anemometer |
instrument used to measure wind speed |
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asteriods |
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 |
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astronomy |
is the study of space |
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atmosphere |
the layer of air/gases surrounding the Earth |
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atom |
the smallest particle into which an element can be divided and still have the properties of that element |
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molecule |
the smallest particle into which a compound can be divided and still have the properties of the compound |
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atomic number |
number of protons in a nucleus ofone atome of an element |
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axis |
imaginary line passing through the center of the planet; the planet spins around it |
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bar graph |
graph that uses bars of different lengths to compare data; usually used with data that we count |
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line of best fit |
line on a graph that most closely fits a set of data points that share a trend; also called a trend line |
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biomass |
Energy Resource which is renewable; matter formed by plants and animals that is used as a fuel; example: wood |
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biosphere |
the part of the Earth that is able to support life |
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boiling point |
temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid state to a gaseous state (vapor); same as the condensation point for that substance |
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bouyancy |
a tendency of an object to float or rise in a fluid that is more dense that the object is |
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Celcius |
temperature scale in which the freezing point of water is 0 degrees and the boiling point is 100 degrees |
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chemical bond |
force of attraction that holds together atoms in a compound |
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chemical change |
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 |
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chemical energy |
energy stored in chemical bonds |
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chemical equation |
a way of writing changes in the arrangement off atoms during a chemical reaction using chemical symbols |
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chemical property |
ability of a substance to change into a new substance with different properties by combining with other substances |
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chemical reaction |
change that takes place when two or more substances (reactants) interact to form new substances (products) |
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chemical weathering |
wearing away of rocks by chemical processes such as oxidation or dissolving |
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chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) |
substances that were formerly used in spray cans, refrigerators and air conditioners |
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cirro- (cirrus) |
very high wispy clouds made of ice crystalss |
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class |
division of organisms classified below phylum and above order |
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climate |
a general pattern of weather in a particular part of the world over a long period of time |
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coal |
solid fossil fuel, formed deep with Earth over millions of years |
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oil or petroleum
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liquid fossil fuel, formed deep within Earth over millions of years |
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natural gas |
gas fossil fuel formed deep within Earth over millions of years. |
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cloud |
group of tiny liquid water droplets hanging in the air |
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cold front |
leading edge of a cold air mass that is pushing a warm air mass |
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colloid |
mixture which small clumps of molecules of one substance are evenly spread throughout another substance and do not settle out |
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combustion |
rapid oxidation also called burning which is a chemical reaction |
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comet
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solar system object made mostly of ice, which follows a long narrow orbit around the sun. |
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compound |
a pure substance ; matter made of two or more elements bonded through a chemical bond |
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condensation
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a physical change from liquid to a gas
process in which matter changes from a gaseous state to a liquid state |
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conduction
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transfer of heat from warmer substance to a cooler substance through direct contact |
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conductor |
substance that conducts heat/electricity readily |
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conservation |
the wise use and protection of natural resources |
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control |
factor in an experiment that is use for comparison |
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convection
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transfer of thermal energy in a fluid (liquid or gas) in which fluid rises and cooler fluid sinks |
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Coriolis effect
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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
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Covalent bond |
chemical bond in which atoms share one or more electrons |
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creep |
a type of erosion in which soil and sediments move slowly downhill |
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cumulo- cumulus |
thick clouds piled up in masses |
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data
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collected information, the results of an experiment or other investigation |
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qualitative data |
is descriptive usually describing information gather using our senses (color) |
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quantitative data |
includes numbers in the data |
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delta |
a fan-shaped sediment deposit formed at the mouth of a rive |
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density |
d=mass /volume |
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dependent variable |
also know as the responding variable; factor whose value is the result you are testing/measuring |
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deposition |
process by which wind, water, and gravity leave eroded sediments in new locations |
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dew |
water vapor from the atmosphere that has condensed into water droplets on a surface |
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dichotomous key |
a system used for identifying plants, animals, rocks or minerals, that is made up of a series of paired descriptions to choose between.
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diffusion
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movement of molecules from an area where it is in higher concentration to an area where it is in an area of lower concentration |
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displacement |
one substance or object moving another object or taking its place Think : water displacement in determining the volume of a rock |
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divide |
ridge that separates two watersheds |
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doldrums |
low air pressure band near the equator where there is little wind |
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Doppler effect
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change in the apparent frequency of a wave because either the source of the wave is moving toward or away from the observer |
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balance
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used to measure/determine the mass of an object
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watershed |
area of land that drains water from higher land to lower land and into a stream or river |
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eclipse
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El Nino
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unusually warm ocean current that occurs in the eastern Pacific near the equator and shifts ocean current patters |
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electron
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negatively charged particle found outside the nucleus of an atom |
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element |
substances that are the building blocks of all matter |
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endothermic reaction |
reaction in which energy is absorbed (turns cold) |
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exothermic reaction
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reaction in which energy is given off (gets hot) |
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energy resources |
resources that provide energy; includes fossil fuels, biomass, geothermal energy, solar energy, hydroelectric energy, nuclear energy and wind energy |
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environment |
surroundings and conditions in which an organisms |
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vernal equinox |
the beginning of spring |
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autumnal equinox
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marks the beginning of autumn or fall |
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erosion |
movement of weathered rock (sediment) by wind, water, ice or gravity |
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estuary |
region where the river flows into the ocean and fresh river water mixes with salty ocean water; water is said to be BRACKISH |
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evaporation |
change of mater from a liquid to a gas |
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evolution |
theory based on scientific evidence that describes how organisms change over many generations
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freezing point |
temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid state to a solid state |
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melting point |
temperature at which a substances changes from a solid state to liquid state |
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front |
place where two air masses of different temperatures and pressures meet |
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fusion |
combining of lighter elements into nuclei of heavier elements
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gas |
matter that has no definite volume or shape |
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generator |
machine that converts mechanical energy into electric energy |
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geothermal energy |
energy obtained from thermal energy inside the Earth |
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glacier |
large mass of ice and snow that exists year round and is involved in erosion |
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global warming
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an increase in the world's average temperature, possibly caused in part by fossil fue use |
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graduated cylinder
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glass container with markings, used to measure volume of liquids |
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grassland |
large land region in which the main types of plants are grasses |
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ground water
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water collected in cracks and spaces in the rocks and sediments beneath Earth's surface |
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nuclear wastes
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by products of the nuclear energy industry which we have problems disposing |
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heat energy
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thermal energy |
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