Inertia - An objects resistance to a change in motion.

Net Force -The total amount of force acting on an object (all the individual forces are added
together).
Unbalanced Force - Force that will cause a change in an objects motion.
Acceleration - The change in an objects speed and/or direction; speeding up, slowing down, or
change in direction.
Topography - The shape of the Earth's surface and the way it's physical features are arranged;
positions and elevation.
Biomass - Total mass of living organisms in a given area.
Velocity - The measure of speed and direction.
Electromagnetic Spectrum - The range of electromagnetic waves placed in a certain order.
Newton's 2nd Law of Motion - F= M x A; if an object is acted on by a net force, the change in
velocity will be in the direction of the force.
Medium/Media - Any material through which a mechanical wave travels.
Galaxy - A giant structure that contains gas, dust, and billions of stars.
Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram A graph relating the temperature and brightness of stars.
Light Year Distance light travels in one year.
Newton's 1st Law of Motion An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an
unbalanced force; and object moving at a constant velocity will remain in the same motion
unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
Independent Variable (Also known as the manipulated variable) the variable that you change
during an experiment.
Dependent Variable (Also known as the responding variable) the variable that you expect to
change as a response to the manipulated variable.
Controlled Variable The variable that you keep the same (no change).
Newton's 3rd Law of Motion For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Theory An explanation or model based on observations, experiments, and reasoning, which uses
facts to explain and predict natural phenomena.
Heterozygous Having both the dominate and recessive allele for a trait.(Tt)
Homozygous Having the same allele for a trait. (TT)
Phenotype Physical traits. (tall/short)
Symbiosis Relationship between organism's in which one or both benefit.
Valence The measure of an element's ability to combine with other elements , dictated by the
number of electrons in the outermost shell.
Reactivity The tendency of a substance to undergo chemical changes.
Chemical properties Evidence of a new substance; observed when substances interact such as
flammability and rusting.
Density The measure of how tight particles of a substances are packed (mass per volume)
Physical Properties What you can observe without the materials changing to a new substance
(melting, freezing, getting smaller)
Solubility/Soluble Can be dissolved.
Conductor/Conductivity Allowing to pass through.
Insulator Not allowing to pass though.
Compound Two or more elements chemically combined.
Mixture One or more elements in the same place at the same time, but not chemically combined
(like a tossed salad)

Endothermic Takes in heart during a chemical reaction, will feel cold (ice pack)
Exothermic Releases heat during a chemical reaction, will feel warm (decomposition, hand
warmers)
Kinetic Energy Energy of motion (roller coaster increases kinetic energy as it comes down hill)
Potential Energy Energy that is stored (stress in the fault zone, roller coaster at the top of a hill)
Thermal Expansion Molecules expand as more energy is added (alcohol goes up the
thermometer showing temperature as heat is added)
Average speed The distance an object travels divided by the time it takes to travel that distance.
Distance-time graph A graph showing the relationship between time and distance.
Global Warming Worldwide climate change mainly due to increase in CO2 levels.
Greenhouse Effect The Atmosphere traps solar radiation, because of gases such as CO2,
methane and water vapor.
Ozone Depletion More harmful UV rays hit earth due to a gradual decrease of the layer of ozone
(upper atmosphere); caused by products using chlorofluorocarbon or CFC's.
Igneous Rock Rock formed from cooling of magma or lava.
Metamorphic Rock Rock formed under heat and pressure.
Sedimentary Rock Rock formed from sediments compacting and cementing
Erosion Moving sediment.
Land Subsidence Sinking of Earth's surface (depletion of groundwater/divergent boundary)
Succession A series of changes in the ecosystem that restore equilibrium over time.
Pioneer Species Create soil in primary succession. (lichens/moss)
Mid-Ocean Ridge New crust is formed at divergent plate boundaries.(sea floor spreading)
Plate Tectonics Movement of Earth's crust.
Convection Transfer of thermal energy my movements of a fluid. (convection currents)
Ocean Currents Rivers of hot or cold water within the ocean caused by planet rotation, wind,
temperature and salinity.
Radiation Transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves (light waves)
Diffusion Substance moving from areas of greater concentration to areas of less concentration
until equilibrium is reached.
Feedback Mechanisms The way an organism monitor's it's needs and maintains equilibrium.
Turgor Pressure Water pressure against a cell wall of a plant (firm leaf/wilted leaf)
Dominate Trait Genetic trait that is represented with a capital letter and will always show if its
present.
Genotype Genetic makeup; written with symbols (Tt)