Science Final Exam Notes

Vocabulary flashcards for Science Final Exam Notes

Species

A group of organisms that look similar to one another and can mate to produce more of the same type of organisms

Population

A group of the same species in a given area

Community

A group of populations of different species in a given area

Ecosystem

Interactions between a community and the abiotic factors surrounding it

Biome

A large group of ecosystems defined by climate

Biosphere

The global system that includes all the biotic and abiotic factors on Earth

Individual

A single member of a species

Photosynthesis

A chemical process where plants use light from the sun to convert carbon dioxide in the air and water from the soil into sugar to feed the plant and release oxygen back into the air (CO2+H20+light energy=sugar+O)

Cellular Respiration

Process that allows living things to use food to produce energy to survive (O+sugar=CO2+H20+ATP energy)

Scavengers

Do not kill their own food, feed off dead animals

Detritivores

Feed off detritus (waste) in the soil, return nutrients from the organic matter to the soil

Decomposer

Break down dead plants and animals, return the nutrients to the soil

Primary Succession

The formation of a new community where there has never been any life

Secondary Succession

The slow change in species in an established community after the community has been disturbed

Herbivores

Eats plants only; also known as primary consumers

Carnivores

Eats animals; also known as secondary, tertiary, or quaternary consumers

Omnivores

Eats plants and animals; also known as secondary, tertiary, or quaternary consumers

Particle Theory

All matter is made up of tiny little particles called atoms

Pure Substances

Types of matter that contain one type of particle

Mixture

Matter that contains two or more substances mixed together

Mechanical Mixtures

Mixtures where you can see different types of matter in a mixture; also called heterogenous mixtures

Solutions

Contains more than one kind of substance but looks like a pure substance; also called homogenous mixtures

Soluble

Solute is able to dissolve in a specific solvent

Insoluble

Solute doesn't dissolve in a specific solvent

Saturation Point

The point at which no more solute can be dissolved in a specific amount of solvent at a certain temperature; every solution has a different saturation point

Dilute Solution

Very little solute; lots of solvent

Concentrated Solution

Lots of solute; very little solvent

Solid Structure

Made from a solid piece of strong material

Shell Structure

Hollow, strong outer surface

Frame Structure

Skeleton-like frame holds the shape

Mass

Amount of matter in an object, stays the same all the time

Weight

A measure of the force of gravity, has magnitude and direction

Contact Forces

Must touch the object

Non-Contact Forces

Act at a distance

Static Load

A force caused by gravity, always acting downwards

Dynamic Load

Forces that move or change due to movement of the structure, not cause of gravity, fleeting moment

Tension

Pulling/stretching force

Compression

Pushing/squishing force

Torsion

Twisting force

Shear

Sliding force in opposite directions

I-Beams

Regular beams that have been slightly altered in shape

Corrugation

A way of folding the material in a beam to add strength

Rebar

Strengthening concrete beams using steel rods

Cantilever

A beam supported on one end

Truss

A network of beams arranged in a triangular shape; triangular shape helps distribute weight

Arch

A curved structure used to span a space while supporting a load

Dome

A structure that looks like the top half of a sphere; the downward force is directed in multiple planes of application at once

Thermal Contraction

Decrease in the volume of a substance caused by cooling

Thermal Expansion

Increase in the volume of a substance caused by heating

The Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouses receive heat energy from the sun, but only some heat energy is reflected and escapes through the glass; most of the heat is trapped in the greenhouse; describes the effect of trapping heat

Independent Variable

What you change in an experiment

Dependent Variable

What you measure in an experiment

Controlled Variable

What stays the same in an experiment

Experiment

Use scientific inquiry to investigate a question

Innovation

Involves designing a product that solves a problem

Hypothesis

An educated best guess about what will happen with your project