Science Grade 9 Three-Term Budget of Work Vocabulary Flashcards

A collection of high-school science terms spanning Newton's laws, electromagnetic radiation, geology, genetics, and chemical bonding based on the Grade 9 Budget of Work.

Newton’s laws

Principles that explain and predict how objects move due to the forces that act on them.

Electricity

A flow of electrons that can be measured and understood using current, voltage, and resistance in circuits.

Electromagnetic radiation (EMR)

Energy created by the vibrations of electrically charged particles which allows it to travel through materials or space as transverse waves.

Lithospheric plates

The movement of these components provides a theory for understanding Earth’s geological history.

Geologic time scale

A system that organizes major stages in the history of the Earth over more than $4$ billion years.

Internal source of energy

Radioactive decay of material inside the Earth since it was formed.

Inertia

The tendency for an object to stay at rest or in motion unless acted on by an unbalanced net force.

Acceleration

A change in speed and/or direction as the result of a net force.

Transverse waves

The specific type of wave by which electromagnetic radiation travels.

Fossils

Evidence used for dating the age of rocks and sediments and recounting the history of the Earth.

Relative dating

A technique used to determine the subdivisions of geologic time based on the sequence of rock layers.

Absolute dating

A technique used to determine the subdivisions of geologic time based on simplified radioactive decay results.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

A molecule with a double helix structure that determines the transmission of traits.

Mutations

Changes in DNA or chromosomes caused by factors such as radiation, chemicals, and infectious agents.

Biodiversity

A measure of variety in an ecosystem where higher levels increase stability during conditions such as food shortages, disease, and climate change.

Valence electron

An electron in the outer shell of an atom that can take part in the formation of bonds.

Ionic bonds

Bonds formed by the loss or gain of electrons between atoms to produce ions, such as in the formation of $NaCl$.

Covalent bonds

Bonds formed by the sharing of electrons between atoms, such as in molecules of $H_2O$ and $CO_2$.

Crystalline structures

The structural form typical of ionic compounds, consisting of a lattice rather than individual molecules.

Metallic bonding

A type of bonding explained by the "sea of electrons" model to describe the properties of metals.