Science Terms, Definitions and Pictures
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A
Accurate – Correct; true.
Adaptation – An inherited trait or learned behavior that helps an organism survive in its surroundings.
Adult – A fully grown organism that can reproduce.
Air Pressure – A force applied by the weight of air.
Alternative Energy Resource – Energy generated by natural processes that is renewable.
Analyze – Look at closely and carefully.
Aquarium – A plastic or glass container filled with water, fish, and other aquatic animals.
Atom – What all matter is made of.
Axis – A line, real or imaginary, around which something spins.
B
Beach Erosion – The removal of beach materials into the sea or lakes by the action of waves, tides, or wind.
Beaker – Cylinder shaped glass container used to mix or heat liquids.
Biofuel – Fuel made from plants, animal wastes, and decomposing plant and animal tissue.
Birth – The beginning of life.
Boiling Point – The temperature at which a substance changes states from a liquid to a gas (the boiling point of water is 100° Celsius).
Bubble – Gas or air in a liquid.
Buoyancy – The upward force placed on an object by a liquid.
C
Calculator – A device that performs math problems with numbers entered by hand.
Camouflage – Characteristics that blend in with the surrounding environment and increase chances of survival.
Canyon – A deep gorge in the surface of Earth formed by the erosion of moving water and sand.
Carbon Cycle – The movement of carbon on Earth by the processes of respiration and photosynthesis.
Carbon Dioxide – A gas produced by animals during respiration that plants use to make food, water and oxygen.
Career – Occupation requiring special skills or training.
Carnivore – An animal that gets energy by eating only other animals.
Carrying Capacity – The population size an environment can feed and support.
Celsius – A temperature scale that sets the freezing point of water at 0° and the boiling point at 100°.
Change – To make or become different.
Change of State – To change from a solid, liquid, or gas to another state, such as an ice cube melting.
Characteristic - A trait or feature that cannot be changed.
Chart – A picture that uses symbols to represent data.
Chemist – A person who uses scientific methods to study matter.
Classify – Group together based on similar traits.
Clay – Thick, heavy, and sticky soil made of tiny pieces of minerals.
Climate – Average weather conditions of a region year after year.
Closed Circuit – A pathway that allows an electric current to flow freely.
Cold Front - The location where a cold air mass is replacing a warm air mass.
Combine – To mix together.
Community – A group of living things sharing an environment.
Compass – An instrument that uses a small magnet to shows the directions North (N), South (S), East (E), and West (W).
Complete Metamorphosis – A type of development consisting of four distinct stages – egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Compost – Plant remains that decay and are recycled as fertilizer.
Concentration – The amount of substance in a liquid.
Conclusion – An explanation based on your observation or measurement.
Condensation – Physical change in matter from a gas to a liquid.
Conductor – Material that allows electric current or heat energy to flow through easily.
Conservation – The wise use and protection of natural resources. To protect and avoid wasteful and destructive use.
Constant – Not changing; the same.
Consumer – An organism that gets energy by eating other organisms.
Craters – Bowl-shaped indents or cavities on the surface of a planet, moon, or asteroid that are caused by a collision with another object, such as a meteorite.
Critical Thinking – Looking very closely at all parts before drawing a conclusion.
Critique – Identify the problems and successes with an investigation and suggest solutions for improvement.
D
Data – Information collected during an experiment.
Day – The time during rotation when Earth faces the Sun, and it is lighted; this rotation gives the false appearance that the Sun travels from East to West across the sky.
Decay – To rot and break down into small parts.
Decomposer – An organism that gets energy by eating dead organisms, nonliving materials or waste.
Delta – A triangle-shaped (deposit) landform at the mouth of a river as it empties into another body of water.
Density – The mass of an object in liquid.
Deposition – The build up of land by depositing sediment and soil in a new location.
Direct Evidence – Evidence that comes from your measurements, tests, or observations.
Direction – The line or course along which something is moving.
Discovery – Something new that is learned.
Disperse – Scatter or send in several different directions.
Disposal – Getting rid of; throwing away.
Dissect – Cut open to observe.
Dissolve – Melt, make a solution out of, or turn into a liquid.
Diverse – Having a variety of many different types.
E
Earth – A planet in the Solar System that supports life.
Earth’s Crust – Outer layer of Earth’s surface that is made of rock and is several miles deep.
Earthquake – A sudden release of energy under Earth’s surface that makes the ground shake or crack.
Ecosystem – A community of living and nonliving things in their natural environment.
Egg – The first stage in the life cycle of many organisms, including birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and insects.
Electric Circuit – The pathway through which electrical current flows.
Electric Current – The flow of electricity around a circuit.
Electrical Circuit – The pathway through which electrical current flows.
Electric Energy – Energy produced by the movement of electrons.
Electrical Energy – Energy produced by the movement of electrons.
Electromagnetism – Magnetism created by an electric current; examples are MRI and electric motor.
Electron – Tiny particles in an atom that have a negative charge.
Elodea – An aquatic plant.
Emergency – An event that requires immediate action or assistance.
Energy – What is needed to do work or cause change.
Energy Efficient – Uses less energy to produce results.
Environment – The living and nonliving things that are around an organism.
Environmentally Friendly – Does not damage the physical, chemical, and biological factors in which a living organism or community exists.
Erosion – The movement of weathered material on Earth’s surface by wind, water, or ice.
Erupt – To break open in a sudden and violent manner.
Evaluate – To compare the actual outcome of the experiment (results) with your predicted outcome (hypothesis).
Evaporation – Physical change in matter from a liquid to a gas.
Evidence – A sign of proof; figures, numbers, data, and logic.
Explanation – A reason, cause, or an answer.
Eye/Face Wash Station – Structure that flushes the eyes and face with water to remove chemicals, debris, or irritants.
F
Fire Blanket – A blanket made of specially-treated fabric that is used if clothing catches fire.
Fire Extinguisher – A piece of equipment that sprays chemicals to put out uncontrollable fires.
Flow – To move or travel smooth in a certain direction.
Food Chain – The path of food energy from one organism to another in an ecosystem.
Food Web – A connection of food chains with many food energy paths in an ecosystem.
Force – A push or pull that causes an object to move, stop, or change direction.
Fossil – Preserved parts or traces of animals and plants that lived in the past.
Fossil Fuel – Nonrenewable flammable material (coal, oil, natural gas) made from the remains of plants and animals buried in Earth’s crust that is used to produce heat and power.
Freezing Point – The temperature at which a substance changes states from a liquid to a solid (freezing point of water is 0° Celsius).
Freshwater – Water found in lakes, rivers, and streams that does not contain salt.
Friction – A force that slows or stops motion when objects rub together.
G
Generalization – A rule or pattern based on limited proof.
Generation – The lifespan of an organism.
Geothermal – Energy that comes from the natural heat inside the Earth.
Global Warming – A rise in the average temperatures of Earth’s air and oceans.
Goggles – An accessory that protects eyes from chemical or biological splatters and spills.
Graduated Cylinder – A container used to measure volume of liquids.
Graph – A drawing that shows two or more types of data are related.
Gravity – A natural force that causes two objects to pull toward each other depending on their mass and the distance between them.
Green – Friendly to the environment.
H
Habitat – The place or environment in which an organism naturally lives.
Heat Energy – Energy that causes a change in temperature between materials.
Herbivore – An animal that gets energy by eating only plants.
Heredity – The passing of traits from parent to offspring during reproduction.
Hibernation – When an animal becomes still in an enclosed space and reduces bodily functions to save energy.
Humidity – The amount of water vapor in the air.
Humus – Decayed plant and animal remains.
Hydroelectricity – Electricity made from the energy of moving or falling water.
Hypothesis – An educated guess about the outcome of an investigation that can be tested.
I
Illuminate – Light up.
Illustrate – Make clear or draw a picture of.
Impact – Direct effect or change on.
Imprint – A mark or depression made by pressure.
Incomplete Metamorphosis – A type of development consisting of three stages – eggs, nymph, and adult.
Indirect Evidence – Evidence based on an inference.
Inertia – The property of an object that resists movement by force.
Inference – An explanation based on what you already know or what you have seen.
Ingredient – A single part of a mixture or solution.
Inherited Trait – A characteristic that is passed from parents to offspring during reproduction.
Insulator – Material that slows down or stops electric current or heat from flowing.
Investigation – The search for an answer to a question.
K
Kaleidoscope – A tube that contains three mirrors that reflect many different designs of light passing through a colored disk on top.
Kinetic Energy – Energy in motion.
L
Laboratory Apron – A garment that protects clothing from chemical or biological splatters and spills.
Landfill – A location for the disposal of waste.
Landform – Features on the surface of Earth such as mountains, hills, dunes, oceans, and rivers.
Landslide – The rapid falling of Earth’s materials down a slope.
Larva – The stage of Complete Metamorphosis during which the organism resembles a worm.
Laser – A device that gives off a very strong and directed beam of light.
Lava – The extremely hot, molten rock that is blown through a crack in the Earth’s surface when a volcano erupts.
Learned Behavior – Animal behavior that develops from observation or instruction rather than being passed down by heredity.
Lens – A clear piece of curved glass or plastic that bends passing light to focus or spread the light rays.
Life Cycle – The stages in an organism’s life from birth to death.
Light Energy – Radiant energy that our eyes can see from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Light Spectrum – The small part of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can see; violet, blue, cyan, green, yellow, orange, and red.
Limitation – When a model cannot be an exact representation of the object’s size or detail.
Liquid – Shapeless substance that flows like water and is wet.
Living Elements – A part of the ecosystem like a plant or animal that requires energy to survive and has basic needs that must be met.
Logical – Expected to happen.
M
Magma – Hot, melted rock that is below the Earth’s surface.
Magnetism – The property of attraction to a magnet.
Magnify – Increase in size, power, or importance.
Map – A visual representation of an area.
Mass – The amount of matter in an object.
Matter – Anything that has mass and takes up space.
Measurement – The process of using tools to observe an object’s physical properties like mass, volume, temperature, etc.
Mechanical Energy – Energy produced by a machine or moving part.
Melt – Change in matter from a solid to a liquid.
Melting Point – The temperature at which a substance changes states from a solid to a liquid.
Microscope – An instrument that uses a lens to make tiny things look larger.
Migration – The seasonal movement of animals from one place to another.
Mimicry – The resemblance of an organism to another organism or to its surroundings that gives it a better chance of survival.
Mirror – Any object that has a reflective surface.
Mixture – A combination of two or more substances where each keep their own properties and can be easily separated.
Model – A limited representation of an object used to help us understand its structure or how it works. (Space): A copy of something that represents it so we can study it.
Moon – A natural satellite that orbits a planet. Some planets have no moons; others have over 60 moons.
Moon Phase – What the Moon looks like at different times of the month.