| Term | Definition |
|---|
| hypothesis | a tentative explanation or prediction based on experimental observations |
| quantitative | information is numerical data, such as the temperature at which a chemical substance melts |
| qualitative | information consists of non-numerical observations, such as the color of a substance or its physical appearance |
| law | a concise verbal or mathematical statement of a behavior or relation that seems always to be the same under the same conditions |
| theory | a unifying principle that explains a body of facts and the laws based on them |
| serendipity | scientific results and understandings that arise by accident |
| state | a property of matter, whether a substance is a solid, liquid, or gas |
| kinetic-molecular theory | theory that all matter consist of tiny particles which are in constant motion |
| kinetic energy | the energy of motion of particles |
| macroscopic | processes and properties on a scale large enough to be observed directly |
| submicroscopic | representations of chemical phenomena in terms of atoms and molecules; also called particulate level |
| particulate | representations of chemical phenomena in terms of atoms and molecules; also called submicroscopic level |
| mixture | a combination of two or more substances in which each substance retains its identity |
| heterogeneous mixture | a mixture in which the properties in one region or sample are different from those in another region or sample |
| homogeneous mixture | a mixture in which the properties are the same throughout, regardless of the optical resolution used to examine it |
| solutions | a homogeneous mixture |
| elements | matter that is composed of only one kind of atom |
| periodic table | the table of elements in which the symbol, names, and other information is given about the elements |
| atom | the smallest particle of an element that retains the characteristic chemical properties of that element |
| chemical bond | the bond that holds together two or more atoms |
| ions | an atom or group of atoms that has lost or gained one or more electrons so that it is no longer electrically neutral |
| molecules | the smallest discrete units that retain the composition and chemical characteristics of the compound |
| chemical formula | the representation of any compound |
| physical properties | properties of a substance that can be observed and measured without changing the composition of the substance |
| density | the ratio of the mass of an object to its volume |
| reactants | a starting substance in a chemical reaction |
| chemical change | a change that involves the transformation of one or more substances into one or more different substances |
| physical changes | a change that involves only physical properties |
| intensive properties | physical properties that do not depend on the amount of the matter present |
| extensive properties | physical properties that depend on the amount of matter present |
| products | a substance formed in a chemical reaction |
| chemical equation | a written representation of a chemical reaction, showing the reactants and products, their physical states, and the direction in which the reaction proceeds |
| metric system | the old system of measurements |
| SI | abbreviation for Systeme International d'Unites, a uniform system of measurement units in which a single base unit is used for each measure physical quantity |
| absolute zero | the lowest possible temperature, equivalent to -273.15 C, used as the zero point of the Kelvin scale |
| precision | indicates how well several determinations of the same quantity agree |
| accuracy | the agreement of a measurement with the accepted value of the quantity |
| standard deviation | a measure of precision, calculated as the square root of the sum of the squares of the deviations for each measurement divided by the number of measurements |
| percent error | the difference between the measured quantity and the accepted value, expressed as a percentage of the accepted value |
| liter | symbolized by L, the measurement for volume |
| significant figures | the digits in a measured quantity that are known exactly, plus one digit that is inexact to the extent of plus or minus 1 |
| dimensional analysis | a general problem-solving approach that uses the dimensions or units of each value to guide you through calculations |
| conversion factor | a multiplier that relates the desired unit to the starting unit |
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