Scientific Measurement, Scale, Graphs, and Rates Vocabulary

Practice flashcards covering scientific vocabulary on change, scales, variables, graph trends, slope, rates, scientific notation, and relationships.

Change

A difference in something over time.

Stability

When something stays the same or mostly unchanged.

Cyclic Change

A change that repeats in a predictable pattern, such as day and night. It can appear non-cyclic if observed for too short a time.

Non-Cyclic Change

A change that does not repeat in a predictable pattern, such as a volcanic eruption.

Temporal Scale

The amount of time over which a change occurs, answering the question of how long a change takes.

Short Temporal Scale

A change that occurs over a short period of time, such as weather changing during one day.

Long Temporal Scale

A change that occurs over a long period of time, such as the formation of mountains.

Spatial Scale

The size of the area affected by a change, answering how large of an area the change affects.

Local Scale

A change affecting a small area, such as a thunderstorm in one town.

Regional Scale

A change affecting a larger region, such as a hurricane affecting several states.

Global Scale

A change affecting Earth as a whole, such as global climate change.

Variable

Something that can change or be measured.

Relationship Between Variables

A connection where changes in one variable relate to changes in another, stated by naming the variables, describing how they change, and identifying the relationship type.

Direct Relationship

A relationship where both variables move in the same direction: as one increases, the other increases, and as one decreases, the other decreases (e.g., sunlight and plant growth).

Inverse Relationship

A relationship where variables move in opposite directions: as one increases, the other decreases, and vice versa (e.g., pressure and volume).

Cyclic Relationship

A relationship where a variable repeatedly increases and decreases in a predictable pattern, appearing as a repeating wave or pattern on a graph.

Constant Relationship

A relationship where one variable changes while the other stays the same, represented as a horizontal line on a graph.

Line Graph

A graph that uses points connected by lines to show how something changes over time.

Slope

The steepness of a line on a graph, which represents the rate and direction of change.

Steeper Line

A line with greater steepness, representing a faster rate of change.

Flatter Line

A line with less steepness, representing a slower rate of change.

Horizontal Line

A line indicating that the dependent variable is not changing.

Positive Slope

Indicates that the dependent variable increases as the independent variable increases.

Negative Slope

Indicates that the dependent variable decreases as the independent variable increases.

Steep Positive Slope

Indicates that the dependent variable is increasing quickly.

Less-Steep Positive Slope

Indicates that the dependent variable is increasing more slowly.

Steep Negative Slope

Indicates that the dependent variable is decreasing quickly.

Less-Steep Negative Slope

Indicates that the dependent variable is decreasing more slowly.

Constant Slope

Indicates that the rate of change stays the same, shown as a straight line.

Changing Slope

Indicates that the rate of change is changing over time.

Independent Variable

The variable that is changed or controlled, usually placed on the x-axis.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured in response to the independent variable, usually placed on the y-axis.

Trend

The general direction or pattern shown by data on a graph.

Positive Relationship

A relationship where both variables tend to increase together or decrease together.

Negative Relationship

A relationship where one variable tends to increase while the other decreases.

No Relationship

A situation where there is no clear pattern connecting the variables.

Scientific Notation

A method used to write very large or very small numbers more simply, in the general form of a number between $1$ and $10$ multiplied by a power of $10$.

Exponent in Scientific Notation

Indicates how many places and in which direction the decimal point moves.

Positive Exponent

Indicates that the number is greater than $1$ when written in standard form.

Negative Exponent

Indicates that the number is between $0$ and $1$ when written in standard form.

Thousand

A standard number containing $3$ zeros.

Ten Thousand

A standard number containing $4$ zeros.

Million

A standard number containing $6$ zeros.

Billion

A standard number containing $9$ zeros.

Trillion

A standard number containing $12$ zeros.

Rate

The amount something changes compared with another quantity (usually time), measuring how quickly something changes, with the formula $\text{Rate} = \text{change} \div \text{time}$.

Speed

A rate calculated as $\text{Speed} = \text{distance} \div \text{time}$, which increases if distance increases for a constant time, and decreases if time increases for a constant distance.

Compound Units

Units made from two or more units, such as distance per time (common speed units include $\text{m/s}$, $\text{km/h}$, or $\text{mi/h}$).

Increasing Rate

A rate that gets faster over time, causing a line graph to become steeper.

Decreasing Rate

A rate that gets slower over time, causing a line graph to become flatter.

Coffee Cooling Relationship

An example of an inverse relationship with a decreasing rate, where coffee temperature decreases and cools more slowly over time.

Scatter Plot

A graph that uses individual points to show the relationship and patterns between two variables.

Line of Best Fit

A line that shows the overall trend or general relationship between variables in a scatter plot.