Unit 2 Water Review Vocabulary Flashcards

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions from the Unit 2 Water Review study guide.

Matter

Anything that has mass and takes up space.

Vaporization

The process of a liquid changing to a gas, during which the substance absorbs thermal energy and particle motion increases.

Evaporation

Vaporization that occurs specifically at the surface of a liquid.

Conduction

Thermal-energy transfer through direct contact, such as a metal spoon becoming hot while sitting in hot water.

Convection

Thermal-energy transfer through the movement of a fluid, where warm, less-dense air or water rises while cool, denser fluid sinks.

Radiation

Energy transfer by electromagnetic waves where matter is not required, such as sunlight warming Earth.

Adhesion

The attraction between water molecules and a different substance.

Cohesion

The attraction between water molecules.

Surface tension

Cohesion at the surface of water that creates a tight, film-like layer that resists being broken.

Condensation

The process where gas or water vapor loses thermal energy and becomes liquid.

Precipitation

Water falling from clouds, including rain, snow, sleet, and hail.

Infiltration

The process by which water at the surface soaks into soil and rock, moving downward to recharge groundwater.

Point-source pollution

Pollution that comes from one identifiable source, such as a factory pipe.

Nonpoint pollution

Pollution that comes from many spread-out sources, such as fertilizer, oil, and trash carried by runoff.

Direct use

Water used personally and visibly, such as for drinking or bathing.

Indirect use

Water used to make food or products, such as growing crops or dyeing clothing.

Aquifer

A permeable underground layer of rock or sediment that stores and transmits groundwater.

Recharge

Water moving into and refilling an aquifer, which replaces pumped water and helps maintain the water table.

Porosity

The percentage of open space in a material, measuring water storage rather than how easily water moves.

Permeability

The ability of a material to transmit water through connected pores or cracks.

Aerated zone

The unsaturated zone above the water table whose pore spaces contain both air and water.

Saturated zone

The underground zone where every pore and crack is completely filled with water.

Water table

The upper boundary of the saturated zone.

Watershed

An area of land where all surface water drains toward the same stream, river, lake, or other outlet.

Urban water cycle

The engineered movement of water through a community, consisting of collection, treatment, and distribution.

Desalination

Removing salt from seawater or salty groundwater.

Observation

Something directly seen, measured, or recorded.

Inference

An explanation or conclusion based on observations and prior knowledge.

Proton

A subatomic particle located in the nucleus with a mass of about $1\, \text{amu}$ and a charge of $+1$.

Neutron

A subatomic particle located in the nucleus with a mass of about $1\, \text{amu}$ and a charge of $0$.

Electron

A subatomic particle located in the electron cloud outside the nucleus with a mass of about $0\, \text{amu}$ and a charge of $-1$.

Atom

The smallest unit of an element that keeps that element's properties.

Molecule

A structure that contains two or more atoms chemically bonded together.

Mass number

The sum of protons and neutrons in an atom ($\text{mass number} = \text{protons} + \text{neutrons}$).

Charge

The net electrical value determined by subtracting electrons from protons ($\text{charge} = \text{protons} - \text{electrons}$).

Independent variable

The variable in an experiment that is placed on the x-axis of a graph.

Dependent variable

The variable in an experiment that is placed on the y-axis of a graph.

Parker water supply

Water supply including Cherry Creek and Newlin Gulch surface water stored in Rueter-Hess Reservoir, Denver Basin groundwater, and WISE water.