Science Finals Vocab
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Created by:
KnightMare6060 on May 23, 2012
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107 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Speed | The distance that an object travels per unit of time |
| Average Speed | Calculated by dividing the total distance traveled by the total time of travel |
| Displacement | The distance AND direction of an object's position from the starting point |
| Velocity | Includes the speed of an object and its direction of motion. |
| Acceleration | Occurs when an object changes its speed, its direction, or both |
| Inertia | The tendency of an object to resist any change in motion |
| Force | A push or pull that one body exerts on another |
| Balanced Forces | Forces on a body that are equal in size and opposite in direction. |
| Instantaneous Speed | The speed at any given point in time |
| Friction | A force that opposes motion between two touching surfaces |
| Weight | The gravitational force exerted on an object |
| Momentum | The product of the mass of an object and its velocity |
| Static Friction | Exists between two surfaces that are not moving past each other |
| Gravity | Two masses exert an attractive force on each other |
| Chemical Potential Energy | Energy stored in the chemical bonds between atoms |
| Gravitational Potential Energy | Depends on the mass of the object, its height above ground and its acceleration due to gravity |
| Joule | The SI unit of energy |
| Kinetic Energy | Energy in the form of motion |
| Mechanical Energy | Is the sum of the potential and kinetic energy in a system |
| Elastic Potential Energy | Energy stored by something that can stretch or compress |
| Resistance Force | Opposing the effort force |
| Modified Inclined Plane | Wedge, screw |
| Effort Force | The force applied to a machine |
| Wheel and Axle | Gears are a modified form of this simple machine |
| Simple Machine | A machine that does work with only one movement |
| Inclined Plane | The wedge and screw are modified forms of this machine |
| Efficiency | W(out) / W(in) X 100 |
| Lever | A bar that is free to pivot, or turn, around a fixed point |
| Work | This is accomplished when a force acts through a distance |
| Machine | A device that makes doing work easier |
| Mechanical Advantage | The number of times a machine multiplies the effort force |
| Heat | Moves from areas of hot to areas of cold |
| Convection | The transfer of energy in a fluid by the movement of heated particles |
| Conduction | Heat transfer by touch |
| Induction | Charging a material by bringing it close to a charged object |
| Closed Circuit | An electrical circuit that has only one way to flow |
| Heat Conductor | Allows for the easy flow of electrons |
| Heat Engine | A device that converts heat energy into mechanical energy |
| Temperature | A measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a material |
| Heat Mover | Air conditioner is an example |
| Solar Energy | Energy from the sun |
| Specific Heat | Water has a value of 4184[J/(kg K)] |
| Radiation | Transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves |
| Conduction | Transfer of thermal energy by direct contact of particles |
| Thermal Energy | Sum of the kinetic and potential energy of all of the molecules in an object. |
| Electric Current | Produce by the flow of electrons through a material |
| Insulator | A material that does NOT allow electrons to easily flow through it |
| Resistance | Tendency of a material to oppose the flow of electrons through it |
| Parallel Circuit | A type of circuit that has mor than one branch for current to flow |
| Power | Equals current X voltage difference |
| Voltage | The "push" that causes charges to move in a circuit |
| Series Circuit | A circuit with only one path |
| Transformer | Can be used to increase or decrease the voltage in an AC |
| Electrical Generator | Converts mechanical energy into electrical energy |
| Turbine | A large wheel that rotates when pushed by water, wind or steam |
| Poles | Region where the magnetic force of a magnet is strongest |
| Direct Current | Batteries produce this type of electron flow |
| Galvanometer | Device that uses an electromagnet to measure electric current |
| Electromagnetic Induction | A generation works based on this principle |
| Alternating Current | Reverses direction of current flow in a regular way |
| Electromagnet | Made of a soft iron core surrounded by loops of current-carrying wire |
| Fossil Fuel | Examples include coal, petroleum and natural gas |
| Petroleum | Cured oil that is highly flammable and is formed by decayed organisms |
| Photovoltaic Cell | Converts light energy into electricity |
| Non-Renewable | Energy source that cannot be replace as fast as it is used |
| Biomass | Examples include organic matter such as wood and rice hulls |
| Nuclear Waste | Radioactive by-product resulting from the use of radioactive sources |
| Geothermal Energy | Thermal energy from the earth that can be used to generate electricity |
| Hydroelectric | Electrical energy produced from the energy of moving water |
| Constructive Interference | When two or more waves overlap and combine to form a new wave |
| Diffraction | The bending of a wave as it changes speed when passing from one medium to another |
| Wavelength | Measured from crest to crest or trough to trough on a transverse wave |
| Medium | Matter that waves travel through |
| Transverse | Matter moves back and forth at right angles to the direction the wave travels |
| Longitudinal or Compressional | An example of this type of wave is sound |
| Frequency | The number of wavelengths that pass a given point each second |
| Rarefaction | The less dense region of a compressional wave |
| Amplitude | Relates directly to the energy carried by a wave |
| Sonar | Uses reflected underwater sound waves to detect objects |
| Decibles | Units used to measure the intensity of a sound |
| Doppler Effect | Change in pitch or wave frequency due to a moving wave source |
| Acoustics | The study of sound |
| Ultrasonic | Sound waves above the normal frequency range of human hearing |
| Cochlea | Part of ear that converts sound waves into nerve impulses |
| Resonator | Hollow chamber filled with air that amplifies vibrating sound waves |
| Visible | The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that you can see |
| Infrared | Type of energy used to produce thermograms |
| Ultraviolet | The ozone layer above the Earth blocks much of this radiation |
| Photon | Particles whose energy is dependent on the frequency of the light |
| X-Ray | Often used in medicine to produce images of the human body |
| Electromagnetic Spectrum | Composed of vibrating electrical and magnetic fields. |
| Gamma | Very high energy, short wavelength wave that can damage cells |
| Radio | Short waves often used in communications |
| Coherent Light | Light of only one wavelength that travels with its crests and troughs aligned |
| Translucent | Allows some light to pass through, but you cannot see clearly through it |
| Infrared | Produced when objects become so hot that they give off light |
| Opaque | Does not allow any light to pass through it |
| Pigment | Colored material that absorbs some colors and reflects others |
| Concave or Diverging | Lens that is thinner in the middle than at the edges |
| Mirror | Flat, smooth surface that reflects and image |
| Focal Length | Distance from center of lens or mirror to the point of focus |
| Cornea | Transparent outer covering of the eye |
| Real Image | Formed when light rays converge to form an image |
| Optical Axis | Imaginary line drawn perpendicular to the surface of a mirror or lens at its center |
| Retina | Part of the eye that converts light images into electrical signals |
| Convex or Converging | Lens that is thicker in the middle than on the edges |
| Convex Mirror | Reflects an image that is virtual, upright, and smaller than the object |
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