Untitled Flashcards Set

Anatomical Position

A standard way of describing the body: standing upright, facing forward, arms at the sides, palms facing forward, feet slightly apart.

Consistency in Anatomy

Using the anatomical position ensures everyone uses the same 'map' of the body.

Anterior

Anything closer to the front of the body.

Posterior

Anything closer to the back of the body.

Superior

Anything higher on the body.

Inferior

Anything lower on the body.

Dorsal Cavity

The cavity in the back side of the body, containing the cranial and spinal cavities.

Ventral Cavity

The cavity in the front side of the body, containing the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.

Homeostasis

The body's way of maintaining balance and stability in internal conditions.

Negative Feedback

A mechanism where the body reverses a change to maintain stability.

Positive Feedback

A mechanism where the body amplifies a change to push a process to completion.

Atom

The smallest building block of matter.

Element

A substance made of only one type of atom.

Molecule

Two or more atoms chemically bonded together.

Compound

A molecule composed of two or more different types of atoms.

Ionic Bond

A bond formed when one atom transfers electrons to another, creating charged ions.

Covalent Bond

A bond formed when two atoms share electrons.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak bond between a hydrogen atom and a more electronegative atom.

pH

A scale measuring the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution.

Electrolyte

Substances that produce ions when dissolved in water.

Buffer

A system that stabilizes pH by neutralizing acids or bases.

Valence Electrons

Electrons in the outermost shell of an atom that can participate in bonding.

Octet Rule

Atoms are most stable when they have eight electrons in their outer shell.

Isotope

Atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Free Radical

An atom or molecule with an unpaired electron, making it highly reactive.