Chem Flashcards

9/13/2016
W.W.NortonStudySpaceFlashcards
Term
Description
alloy
A metal containing more than one type of metal atom.
asthenosphere
The layer of the mantle that lies between 100-150 km and 350 km deep; the asthenosphere is
relatively soft and can flow when acted on by force.
atmosphere
A layer of gases that surrounds a planet.
atom
The smallest piece of an element that has the properties of the element; it consists of a nucleus
surrounded by an electron cloud.
atomic mass
The amount of matter in an atom; roughly, it is the sum of the number of protons plus the number
of neutrons in the nucleus.
atomic number
The number of protons in the nucleus of a given element.
basalt
A fine-grained, mafic, igneous rock.
bathymetry
Variation in depth.
Big Bang theory
A cataclysmic explosion that scientists suggest represents the formation of the Universe; before
this event, all matter and all energy were packed into one volumeless point.
chemical bond
The invisible link that holds together atoms in a molecule and/or in a crystal.
compound
A material composed of two or more elements that cannot be separated mechanically; the smallest
piece is a molecule.
core
The dense, iron-rich center of the Earth.
cosmology
The study of the overall structure of the Universe.
crust
The rock that makes up the outermost layer of the Earth.
density
Mass per unit volume.
dipole
A magnetic field with a north and south pole, like that of a bar magnet.
Doppler effect
The phenomenon in which the frequency of wave energy appears to change when a moving source
of wave energy passes an observer.
earthquake
A vibration caused by the sudden breaking or frictional sliding of rock in the Earth.
Earth System
The global interconnecting web of physical and biological phenomena involving the solid Earth, the
hydro sphere, and the atmosphere.
electron
A negatively charged subatomic particle that orbits the nucleus of an atom; electrons are about
0.0005_ the size of a proton.
element
A material consisting entirely of one kind of atom; elements cannot be subdivided or changed by
chemical reactions.
energy
The capacity to do work.
expanding
Universe theory
The theory that the whole Universe must be expanding because galaxies in every direction seem to
be moving away from us.
fault
A fracture on which one body of rock slides past another.
fission
A nuclear reaction during which the nucleus of a large atom splits to form two nuclei of smaller
http://www.wwnorton.com/common/flashcards/FrmPrint.aspx?s=geo4&c=01
1/4
9/13/2016
atoms; the process also releases neutrons and energy.

frequency
The number of waves that pass a point in a given time interval.
fusion
A type of nuclear reaction during which nuclei collide and bond; fusion occurs in stars and
hydrogen bombs.
gabbro
A coarse-grained, intrusive, mafic igneous rock.
galaxy
An immense system of hundreds of billions of stars.
geocentric
An ancient Greek idea suggesting that the Earth sat motionless in the center of the Universe while
stars and other planets and the Sun orbited around it.
geothermal
gradient
The rate of change in temperature with depth.
glass
A solid in which atoms are not arranged in an orderly pattern.
granite
A coarse-grained, intrusive, silicic igneous rock.
gravity
The attractive force that one mass exerts on another; the magnitude depends on the size of the
objects and the distance between them.
groundwater
Water that resides under the surface of the Earth, mostly in pores or cracks of rock or sediment.
heliocentric
An idea proposed by Greek philosophers around 250 B.C.E. suggesting that all heavenly objects
including the Earth orbited the Sun.
light year
The distance that light travels in one Earth year (about 6 trillion miles or 9.5 trillion km).
lithosphere
The relatively rigid, nonflowable, outer 100- to 150-km-thick layer of the Earth, constituting the
crust and the top part of the mantle.
lower mantle
The deepest section of the mantle, stretching from 670 km down to the core-mantle boundary.
magnetic field
The region affected by the force emanating from a magnet.
mantle
The thick layer of rock below the Earth's crust and above the core.
mass
The amount of matter in an object; mass differs from weight in that its value does not depend on
the strength of gravity.
matter
The material substance of the universe; it consists of atoms and has mass.
melt
Molten (liquid) rock.
metal
A solid composed almost entirely of atoms of metallic elements; it is generally opaque, shiny,
smooth, malleable, and can conduct electricity.
meteorite
A piece of rock or metal alloy that fell from space and landed on Earth.
mineral
A homogenous, naturally occurring, solid inorganic substance with a definable chemical

composition and an internal structure characterized by an orderly arrangement of atoms, ions, or
molecules in a lattice. Most minerals are inorganic.
Moho
A list of ten minerals in a sequence of relative hardness, with which other minerals can be
compared.
molecule
The smallest piece of a compound that has the properties of the compound; it consists of two or
more atoms attached by chemical bonds.
2/4
9/13/2016
nebula
The concept that planets grow out of rings of gas, dust, and ice surrounding a newborn star.
nebular theory
The concept that planets grow out of rings of gas, dust, and ice surrounding a newborn star.
neutron
A subatomic particle, in the nucleus of an atom, that has a neutral charge.
nucleus
The central ball of an atom that consists of protons and neutrons (except for hydrogen, whose
nuclei contains only a proton).
organic
chemical
A carbon-containing compound that occurs in living organisms, or that resembles such

compounds; it consists of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms along with varying amounts of
oxygen, nitrogen, and other chemicals.
peridotite
A coarse-grained ultramafic rock.
planetesimal
Tiny, solid pieces of rock and metal that collect in a planetary nebula and eventually accumulate to
form a planet.
proton
A positively charged subatomic particle in the nucleus of an atom.
protoplanetary
disk
A ring of gas and dust that surrounded the newborn Sun, from which the planets were formed.
protoplanet
A body that grows by the accumulation of planetesimals but has not yet become big enough to be
called a planet.
protostar
A dense body of gas that is collapsing inward because of gravitational forces and that may
eventually become a star.
radioactive
elements
An unstable isotope of a given element.
red shift
The phenomenon in which a source of light moving away from you very rapidly shifts to a lower
frequency; that is, toward the red end of the spectrum.
refractory
The bending of a ray as it passes through a boundary between two different materials.
rock
A coherent, naturally occurring solid, consisting of an aggregate of minerals or a mass of glass.
sediment
An accumulation of loose mineral grains, such as boulders, pebbles, sand, silt, or mud, that are not
cemented together.
silica
SiO2.
silicate rock
Rock composed of silicate minerals.
Solar System
Our Sun and all the materials that orbit it (including planets, moons, asteroids, Kuiper Belt objects,
and Oort Cloud objects).
star
An object in the Universe in which fusion reactions occur pervasively, producing vast amounts of
energy; our Sun is a star.
stellar
nucleosynthesis
The production of new, larger atoms by fusion reactions in stars; the process generates more
massive elements that were not produced by the Big Bang.
supernova
A short-lived, very bright object in space that results from the cataclysmic explosion marking the
death of a very large star; the explosion ejects large quantities of matter into space to form new
nebulae.
surface water
Liquid or seasonally frozen water that resides at the surface of the Earth in oceans, lakes, streams,
and marshes.
3/4
9/13/2016
terrestrial
Planets that are of comparable size and character to the Earth and consist of a metallic core
planet
surrounded by a rock mantle.
topography
Variations in elevation.
transition zone
The middle portion of the mantle, from 400 to 670 km deep, in which there are several jumps in
seismic velocity.
upper mantle
The uppermost section of the mantle, reaching down to a depth of 400 km.
volatile
A specification of the ease with which a material evaporates.
wavelength
The horizontal difference between two adjacent wave troughs or two adjacent crests.
4/4

Chem Flashcards

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chem Flashcards

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

9/13/2016

A metal containing more than one type of metal atom.

A layer of gases that surrounds a planet.

The number of protons in the nucleus of a given element.

A fine-grained, mafic, igneous rock.

Big Bang theory

The dense, iron-rich center of the Earth.

The study of the overall structure of the Universe.

The rock that makes up the outermost layer of the Earth.

Mass per unit volume.

The capacity to do work.

A fracture on which one body of rock slides past another.

atoms; the process also releases neutrons and energy.

The number of waves that pass a point in a given time interval.

A coarse-grained, intrusive, mafic igneous rock.

An immense system of hundreds of billions of stars.

The rate of change in temperature with depth.

A solid in which atoms are not arranged in an orderly pattern.

A coarse-grained, intrusive, silicic igneous rock.

The region affected by the force emanating from a magnet.

Molten (liquid) rock.

A homogenous, naturally occurring, solid inorganic substance with a definable chemical

A subatomic particle, in the nucleus of an atom, that has a neutral charge.

A carbon-containing compound that occurs in living organisms, or that resembles such

A coarse-grained ultramafic rock.

A positively charged subatomic particle in the nucleus of an atom.

An unstable isotope of a given element.

A coherent, naturally occurring solid, consisting of an aggregate of minerals or a mass of glass.

Rock composed of silicate minerals.

surrounded by a rock mantle.

A specification of the ease with which a material evaporates.

You might also like