Grade 9 Science Exam Review Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Sustainable Ecosystems, Chemistry, Static Electricity, and Current Electricity based on the Grade 9 Science exam review.

Lithosphere

The rigid outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

Hydrosphere

All the waters on the Earth's surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including water over the Earth's surface, such as clouds.

Sustainability

The ability to maintain an ecological balance in an ecosystem.

Biotic Factors

The living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and bacteria.

Abiotic Factors

The non-living physical and chemical components of an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, and minerals.

Trophic Levels

The levels in a food chain or food web, categorized into producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, etc.

Producers

Organisms, such as plants, that produce their own food through photosynthesis using solar energy.

Eutrophication

A process where nutrient enrichment (often from phosphorus or nitrogen) leads to excessive algal growth and oxygen depletion in water bodies.

Algal Blooms

A rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine water systems.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size of a species that a specific environment can sustain indefinitely.

Symbiosis

A close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological species.

Biological Magnification

The process where the concentration of a substance, such as DDT, increases as it moves up the food chain.

Bioremediation

The use of organisms (usually microorganisms) to consume and break down environmental pollutants in order to clean up a polluted site.

Succession

The gradual process by which ecosystems change and develop over time.

Restoration Ecology

The study and implementation of renewing and restoring degraded or destroyed ecosystems.

Bioaugmentation

The addition of specific archaea or bacterial cultures to speed up the rate of degradation of a contaminant.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture in which the different components are visible and not uniformly distributed.

Homogeneous Mixture

A mixture that is uniform in composition throughout; also known as a solution.

Malleable

A physical property of a metal describing its ability to be hammered or pressed into different shapes without breaking.

Ductile

A physical property of a metal describing its ability to be drawn out into a thin wire.

Viscosity

A physical property describing a fluid's resistance to flowing.

Density

A quantitative physical property calculated as mass per unit volume: $Density = \frac{mass}{volume}$.

Metalloids

Elements that have properties intermediate between those of metals and non-metals.

Bohr-Rutherford Model

A model of the atom that represents the arrangement of protons and neutrons in the nucleus and electrons in specific energy levels or shells.

Alkali Metals

The family of elements found in Group 1 of the periodic table, known for being highly reactive.

Halogens

The family of highly reactive non-metal elements found in Group 17 of the periodic table.

Ionic Bond

A chemical bond formed through the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions, usually involving a metal and a non-metal.

Covalent Bond

A chemical bond that involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms, typically between non-metals.

Electroscope

A scientific instrument used to detect the presence and magnitude of electric charge on a body.

Conductor

A material that allows electric charges to flow through it easily.

Insulator

A material that does not allow electric charges to flow through it easily.

Induction

The process of charging a neutral object by bringing a charged object close to it without making physical contact.

Grounding

The process of connecting a charged object to the Earth to safely discharge excess electricity.

Current

The rate of flow of electric charges in a circuit, measured in Amperes ($A$).

Potential Difference

The difference in electric potential energy between two points in a circuit, also known as voltage and measured in Volts ($V$).

Resistance

The opposition to the flow of electric current, measured in Ohms ($\Omega$).

Series Circuit

An electric circuit with only one path for the current to flow; the potential difference ($V$) across loads adds up to the source voltage.

Parallel Circuit

An electric circuit with multiple paths for the current; the potential difference ($V$) stays the same across all branches, while current ($I$) adds up.