General Science: Physical and Life Sciences Comprehensive Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic astronomy, earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics based on the lecture transcript.

Astronomy

The study of the universe; according to the notes, the names of planets originate from Roman Mythology.

Revolution

The movement of planets around the sun in an orbital path. All planets in our solar system revolve eastward (counterclockwise) in the same direction.

Rotation

The spin of a planet on its axis. All planets rotate eastward (counterclockwise) except for Venus and Uranus.

Mercury

The nearest planet to the sun and the fastest revolving planet in the solar system.

Venus

The brightest and hottest planet, known as Earth's closest neighboring planet, the morning or evening star, and the twin planet of Earth.

Earth

The planet characterized by an oblate spheroid shape.

Mars

Known as the red planet, it has two small moons named PHOBOS and DEIMOS.

Asteroid belt

A region of debris located between the orbits of MARS and JUPITER.

Jupiter

The largest planet in the solar system with $95$ moons, including the four Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

Saturn

A gas planet with spectacular rings made of ice, rocks, and dusts, and having $292$ moons.

Pluto

Classified as a Dwarf Planet from $1930$ to $2006$, it is located in the Kuiper belt and has $5$ moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos, and Styx.

LUNA (Earth's Moon)

A celestial body with $1/6$ of Earth's gravity and $1/4$ of Earth's size; it is tidally locked, always facing the Earth.

Lunar Eclipse

An event occurring at night when the Earth's shadow falls on the Moon, often causing the moon to appear red; the alignment is Sun-Earth-Moon (S-E-M).

Solar Eclipse

An event occurring during the day when the Moon's shadow falls on the Earth; the alignment is Sun-Moon-Earth (S-M-E).

Perigee

The point in the moon's orbit when it is closest to the Earth.

Apogee

The point in the moon's orbit when it is farthest from the Earth.

Apollo 11

The first successful manned mission to the moon where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on July 16, 1969, at 8:18 PM.

Nuclear fusion

The process in the Sun where hydrogen nuclei combine to form helium and energy ($H + H \rightarrow He + \text{energy}$).

Perihelion

The point in Earth's orbit where it is closest to the Sun.

Aphelion

The point in Earth's orbit where it is farthest from the Sun.

Meteoroid

Small debris chipped off from an asteroid while still in space.

Meteor

A meteoroid that has entered the Earth's atmosphere.

Meteorite

A meteor that has successfully hit the land.

Halley's comet

A small body orbiting the sun that appears every $76$ years.

Sirius

The brightest star in the night sky.

Polaris

Known as the Northern Star, located in the Ursa Minor (Little Bear) constellation.

Stephenson 2-18

The largest known star.

Jurassic Period

A geologic time period occurring between $213$ and $145$ m.y.a., known as the Age of Dinosaur.

Lithosphere

The rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and the upper mantle.

Pangea

The supercontinent described in Alfred Wegener's Continental drift theory.

Epicenter

The place on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.

Richter Scale

A scale developed by Charles Richter used to measure the magnitude (energy released) of an earthquake.

Mercalli Intensity Scale

A scale used to measure earthquake intensity based on the reaction of people and observed damage.

Moh's Scale of Hardness

A scale ranging from $1$ (Talc) to $10$ (Diamond) that measures a mineral's resistance to being scratched.

Igneous rock

Rock formed from the crystallization of hardened magma or lava.

Anthracite

A dark, black coal with the highest-heat value among the four ranks of coal (Peat, Lignite, Bituminous, Anthracite).

PAISA

An acronym for the Five Oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern (Antarctic), and Arctic.

Troposphere

The lowermost layer of the atmosphere.

Stratosphere

The layer of the atmosphere where the ozone ($O_3$) layer is found.

Mesosphere

The coldest layer of the Earth's atmosphere.

Thermosphere

The hottest layer of the Earth's atmosphere.

Amihan

The Northeast Monsoon in the Philippines, occurring from September to June, characterized by cold and dry air.

Habagat

The Southeast Monsoon in the Philippines, occurring from July to August, characterized by warm and humid air.

Eutrophication

A process where high nutrients in water lead to algal blooms.

Cytology

The scientific study of cells.

Prokaryotic

Cells, such as Bacteria and Archaebacteria, that do not contain a nucleus.

Eukaryotic

Cells, such as Protists, Fungi, Plants, and Animals, that contain a true nucleus.

Robert Hooke

The scientist who discovered cells in $1665$ from cork made from the bark of an oak tree.

Taxonomy

The science of classification and naming of organisms.

Carolus Linnaeus

The Father of modern Taxonomy who proposed binomial nomenclature and coined the term Homo sapiens.

Cnidaria

A group of animals, such as jellyfish and coral, that possess stinging cells called nematocysts.

Angiosperms

Flowering plants that bear fruit to protect their seeds; they are the most abundant and widely distributed plants.

Gymnosperms

Cone-bearing plants with 'naked seeds' that are not enclosed by fruits, such as conifers.

Xylem

Vascular tissue in plants that conducts most of the water and minerals.

Phloem

Vascular tissue in plants that distributes sugars.

Liver

The largest internal organ in the human body, responsible for creating bile.

Cerebrum

The largest part of the brain, responsible for voluntary activities, intelligence, learning, and judgement.

Red blood cells

Cells that are red due to the presence of hemoglobin and transport oxygen.

Hypotonic solution

A solution where water enters the cell, causing it to swell, burst, or become lysed.

In vitro fertilization

A reproductive process where the sperm and ovum meet inside a test tube.

Gregor Mendel

Known as the Father of genetics.

Homologous Organs

Body parts with similar structures but different functions, such as a human arm and a bat wing.

Analogous Organs

Body parts with similar functions but different structures, such as butterfly wings and bat wings.

Oganesson (Og)

The $118\text{th}$ element on the periodic table.

Ionic Bonds

Chemical bonding between metals and non-metals, such as Sodium Chloride ($NaCl$).

Covalent Bonds

Chemical bonding between two or more non-metals, such as water ($H_2O$) or carbon dioxide ($CO_2$).

Colloid

A mixture containing particles that do not settle, such as milk, cloud, and fog.

Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC)

The 'super cold' fifth state of matter.

Newton's First Law

The Law of Inertia.

Mitochondria

The powerhouse of the cell that converts food molecules into energy ($ATP$) through cellular respiration.

Lysosomes

The 'suicidal bag' or 'garbage collector' of the cell, containing hydrolytic enzymes to digest bacteria and worn-out parts.

Livor Mortis

A postmortem change known as hypostasis where blood settles due to gravity, making the skin look pinkish or bluish.

Rigor Mortis

A postmortem change where chemical changes cause muscle mass to become rigid.

Algor Mortis

The postmortem cooling of the body from normal internal temperature to the temperature of the environment.