Science Yearly Vocab
Year 10 Yearly Vocabulary List
Key Term | Meaning/Definition |
Particle | An individual portion of a substance making up a larger whole. |
Atom | The smallest possible amount of a kind of matter. |
Volume | The amount of space that something takes up in a container. |
Mass | The number of particles that make up the matter; how heavy it is. |
Water | A molecule essential to life; written as H2O |
Oxygen Gas | Essential to cellular respiration; makes up around 14% of our atmosphere |
Hydrogen | The most abundant element in the universe; very reactive and flammable. |
Sodium Chloride | A molecule of sodium and chlorine reacted together (table salt) |
Carbon Dioxide | Essential molecule to photosynthesis; written as CO2 |
Acid | A molecule that contains hydrogen and releases hydrogen ions when reacted; has a low pH and neutralizes bases |
Base | A molecule that contains hydroxide and releases water when reacted; has a high pH and neutralizes acids |
Ionic Compound (salts) | A molecule that is bonded together using the magnetic attraction between negative and positive ions; covalent bonds. |
Chemical Property | The properties of a material when undergoing or cause it to undergo a chemical reaction; determined by its chemical structure |
Physical Property | The properties of a material that are determined by its physical structure; hardness, surface texture, flexibility, tensile strength etc |
Combustion Reaction | An exothermic reaction that involves oxygen and a fuel to produce carbon dioxide and water. |
Metal/Acid Reaction | A reaction between an acid and a metal, releasing hydrogen and an ionic compound (salt). |
Acid/Carbonate Reaction | A reaction between an acid and a carbonate releasing an ionic compound (salt), water and carbon dioxide |
Corrosion Reaction | A reaction that breaks down the surface of a material (usually metals) through oxidation and can be accelerated with electrolytes and water |
Precipitation Reaction | A reaction where two soluble aqueous substances react to form an insoluble product. |
Neutralisation Reaction | A reaction between a base and an acid that neutralises the pH of the product. |
Decomposition Reaction | A reaction that breaks down a molecule into its smaller particles |
Combustion Reaction | An exothermic decomposition reaction that requires oxygen and fuel and produces carbon dioxide and water. |
Fermentation Reaction | A combustion reaction that occurs when there is no oxygen and produces ethanol instead of water. |
Exothermic Reaction | A reaction that releases energy and its products have a lower energy than the reactants. |
Endothermic Reaction | A reaction that absorbs energy and its products have more energy than the reactants. |
Reaction Rate | The speed at which a reaction is occurring |
Catalyst | A substance that can speed up reaction rate without interfering with the reaction by supplying a lower activation energy for the reaction to occur. |
Speed | How fast something is moving; how much distance it is moving in a certain time |
Velocity | The rate and direction of an objects movement |
Acceleration | The rate of change of an objects speed |
Displacement | How much distance an object is covering |
Balanced Forces | Two forces that output the same amount in opposite directions. |
Unbalanced Forces | Two forces that output different amounts. |
Newton’s Laws | Laws of physics that helped us understand principals of motion. |
Friction Force | The amount of friction that is being applied to ab object |
Conservation of Energy (the Law) | Energy cannot be created not destroyed, only transformed. |
Reproductive System | The bodily system that allows for reproduction |
Fertilisation | The process of an egg being fertilised and transported to the uterus. |
Vasectomy | A surgical procedure that disconnects the vas deferens from the testicles. |
Growth |
|
Reproduction | The replication of a species that continues its population |
Body Cell | A cell that is within an animal (not a plant cell) |
Mitosis | The splitting and replication of cells as well as their chromosomes |
Meiosis | The splitting and replication of reproductive cells dividing the chromosomes. |
Gene | A piece of genetic material determining what a cell produces. |
Allele | The genetic material within genes; contains dominant and recessive traits from parents. |
Dominant Allele | An allele that is more likely to determine a person’s genetic material |
Recessive Allele | An allele that is less likely to determine a person’s genetic material |
Homozygous | A gene that contains two of the same alleles (both dominant, both recessive) |
Heterozygous | A gene that contains two different alleles (one dominant one recessive) |
DNA | The genetic code that instructs cells what to produce |
Punnet Square | A tool used to determine that possibilities and chances of different gene combination in offspring. |
IVF | The process of fertilisation outside of the body |
Stem Cell | A cell that is not genetically instructed by DNA and can be introduced to DNA to make specific cells |
Fossil Stratigraphy | Stratigraphy used to date fossils |
Comparative Embryology | Comparing the embryos of different animals to identify common ancestors and evolution |
Comparative Anatomy | Comparing the anatomy of different animals to identify common ancestors and evolution |
Radioactive Dating | A method of dating rocks and fossils using radioactive isotopes |
Relative Dating | A method of dating rocks and fossils by comparing them to rocks or fossils with known dates and observing their relationships |
Adaptation | The evolution of a species to better suit it’s environment and give it a better chance of reproduction |
Variation | A natural process that varies the genetic identity of a species to avoid genetic deformities from passing on |
Natural Selection | A natural phenomena where animals that are better adapted to their environment grow in numbers, becoming the standard within the population. |
Selective Advantage | Different adaptations that give an organism a better chance of survival or reproduction |
Population | The total number of a species |
Plate Tectonics | The plates that make up the earths crust |
Alfred Wegener | The person that proposed the theory of tectonic plates |
Crust | The layer of Earth that is exposed to the surface |
Convection Current | The movement of fluids based on their temperature |
Sliding Edge Boundary | The place of contact between two plates sliding past each other |
Subduction Zone | The place where two plates are subducting back into the mantle away from each other |
Convergent Boundary | The place of contact where two plates are colliding into another |
Divergent Boundary | When two plates are moving away from each other, making a gap in the crust |
Volcano (active, dormant, extinct) | A mountain that is connected to the mantle of the earth and can spew out liquid mantle called lava |
Seismometer | A device used to calculate the intensity of an earthquake |
Greenhouse Gas | Gasses within earth’s atmosphere that help insulate heat and protect us from UV radiation |
Greenhouse Effect | The effect of greenhouse gasses insulating heat within earth |
Climate Change | The changing of a climate due to man-made causes; warming up of the planet that is causing changes in earths weather and climate patterns |
Fossil Fuel | A fuel that was derived from an organism |
Ozone Layer | The player of atmosphere that surrounds the earth |
Ocean Currents | The convection currents within the ocean |
Solar Radiation | UV radiation that comes from the sun and hist earth |
Earth’s Spheres | Biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere |
