2026 Physical Science Final Exam Review Flashcards

Rotation

The Earth's movement as it spins on its axis, taking 24 hours to complete and causing day and night.

Revolution

The Earth's movement as it orbits around the sun, taking 365 days or one year to complete and causing the seasons.

Direct Sunlight

Sunlight that hits Earth's surface at a steeper angle, concentrating energy on a smaller area and heating the ground more effectively.

Indirect Sunlight

Sunlight that hits Earth's surface at a shallow angle, spreading energy over a larger area and resulting in less warmth.

Weather

The short-term conditions of the atmosphere that change daily or hourly, such as current temperature or precipitation.

Climate

The long-term patterns of weather conditions in a region, typically changing over decades, such as the four seasons in Connecticut.

Greenhouse Gases

Gases such as Methane, Carbon dioxide, and Nitrous oxide that trap heat from the sun in the atmosphere, making the planet warmer.

Albedo

A measure of how much light and heat a surface reflects; dark surfaces have low albedo while light colored surfaces like ice have high albedo.

Refraction

The bending of light as it passes through a medium.

Reflection

The process where light bounces off of a surface.

Temperature

The amount of kinetic energy that atoms or molecules have in an object.

Celsius to Kelvin Formula

$$K = ^\text{o}C + 273$$

Celsius to Fahrenheit Formula

$$^\text{o}F = (1.8 \times ^\text{o}C) + 32$$

Conduction

The transfer of heat from one medium to another through direct contact, such as a stove heating a pan.

Convection

The flow of heat in air or fluids where warm, less dense material rises and cooler, denser material sinks.

Radiation

The heat energy something gives off in the form of waves, such as heat from the sun or infrared waves from a fire.

Specific Heat

The amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by $1 ^\text{o}C$.

High Specific Heat

A property of substances, like water or aluminum, that require more energy and time to heat up.

Low Specific Heat

A property of substances, like tin or lead, that experience a faster and greater rise in temperature with less energy.

Amplitude

The height of a wave measured from its middle line to the top (crest) or bottom (trough).

Wavelength

The distance from one peak of a wave to the next peak.

Transverse Wave

A wave that is characterized by a wavy line shape.

Longitudinal Wave

A wave that pushes back and forth, consisting of compressions and rarefactions.

Electromagnetic Spectrum High End

The side of the spectrum characterized by high energy, short wavelength, and high frequency, containing Gamma Rays.

Electromagnetic Spectrum Low End

The side of the spectrum characterized by low energy, long wavelength, and low frequency, containing Radio Waves.

Lithosphere

The mechanical layer of the Earth consisting of the solid outer crust.

Asthenosphere

The mechanical layer of the Earth that is soft and flows slowly.

Outer Core

A layer of the Earth composed of liquid iron and nickel.

Inner Core

The innermost layer of the Earth, consisting of a solid ball of iron and nickel due to immense pressure.

Plate Tectonic Theory

The theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle, interacting at boundaries.

Continental Drift

The theory proposed by Alfred Wegener that continents were once joined in a supercontinent called Pangea and moved apart over time.

Oceanic Crust

Evidence shows this crust is thin, more dense, and composed mainly of Basalt.

Continental Crust

Evidence shows this crust is thick, less dense, and composed mainly of Granite and Andesite.

Convergent Boundary

A boundary where plates move toward each other ($$ ightarrow ext