| Term | Definition |
|---|
| science | A body of knowledge about the natural world and a means of acquiring knowledge |
| scientific method | a method of investigation involving observation and theory to test scientific hypotheses |
| hypothesis | possible explanation for a set of observations or possible answer to a scientific question |
| variable | is a changeable factor in an experiment |
| control experiment | standered of comparison in an experiment; does not contain the variable being tested |
| experiment | the testing of an idea or hypothesis |
| data | information gathered from observations during an experiment |
| theory | a hypothesis that is generally accepted due to LOTS of experimental support |
| metric system | The system used to measure in a scientific laboratory |
| meter | a metric unit to measure length or distance (it's about the same as a yard) |
| liter | a metric unit of volume |
| cubic centimeter | also known as 1 cc or 1 mL |
| mass | the amount of matter in an object |
| weight | another name for the force of gravity acting on an object |
| kilogram | A unit of mass equal to 1000 grams. |
| Celsius scale | a temperature scale that defines the freezing point of water as 0 degrees and the boiling point of water as 100 degrees |
| unicellular | having or consisting of a single cell |
| multicellular | consisting of many cells |
| sexual reproduction | two cells from different parents unite to form the first cell of a new offspring |
| asexual reproduction | reproduction that does not involve the union of sex cells and in which a single parent produces offspring that are genetically identical to the parent. |
| anabolism | synthesis of more complex substances from simpler ones |
| catabolism | breakdown of more complex substances into simpler ones with release of energy |
| metabolism | combination of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials as it carries out its life processes |
| homeostasis | the process by which organsims keep their internal conditions reltively stable |
| irritability | the ability of living tissue to respond to stimulus |
| stimuli | What all living things respond to |
| compound light microscope | microscope that uses light and has two lenses, one in the eyepiece, one in the objective. Magnification goes to 400X on our scopes |
| limit of resolution | point at which an object can be seen clearly in a microscope, but after this is passed, the object becomes blurry |
| transmission electron microscope | An electron microscope used to study the internal structure of thin sections of cells |
| scanning electron microscope | An electron microscope used to study the fine details of cell surfaces |
| physical property | A characteristic of a substance that can be observed without changing it into another substance. |
| chemical property | a property used to characterize materials in reactions that change their identity |
| phase | state inwhich matter exists: solid liquid gas plasma |
| atom | (physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element |
| nucleus | the positively charged dense center of an atom |
| proton | positively charged particle found in the nucleus of an atom |
| neutron | neutral particle found in the nucleus of an atom |
| electron | negatively charged particle found in energy levels outside of the nucleus of an atom |
| energy level | a region of an atom in which electrons of the same energy are likely to be found |
| atomic number | equals the number of protons in the nucle of a atom |
| mass number | the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in an atoms nucleus |
| element | pure substance consisting entirely of one type of atom |
| isotope | atom of the same element that have diffrent numbers of nentrons in their nuclei, but the same number of protons. |
| compound | a type of matter that cotains two or more chemically combined elements |
| chemical bonding | the joining of atoms to form new substances. when formed electrons are shared, gained, or lost. |
| ionic bond | a bond that forms when electrons are transferred from one atom to another,which results in a positive ion and a negative ion. |
| ion | An atom that has gained or lost electrons, thus acquiring a charge. |
| covalent bond | A bond whose electrons are shared between atoms |
| molecule | (physics and chemistry) the simplest structural unit of an element or compound |
| chemical reaction | a change in which one or more reactants change into one or more products; characterized by the breaking of bonds in reactants and the formation of bonds in products |
| mixture | two or more elements or compounds that are physically mixed but not chemically combined |
| solution | mixture of 2 or more substances that is homogeneous; consists of a solute and a solvent |
| solvent | Substance that does the dissolving |
| solute | What is being dissolved |
| acid | releases hydrogen ions (H+); a chemical with a pH less than 7 |
| base | releases hydroxide atoms (OH-); a chemical with a pH more than 7 |
| neutralization reaction | the reaction of an acid and a base to form a neutral solution of water and salt |
| pH scale | measures the concentration of Hydrogen ions in solution, ranges from 0-14 |
| suspension | a mixture in which particles can be seen and easily seperated by settling of filtration is a |
| organic compound | a compound whose large molecules contain carbon |
| inorganic compound | a compound whose large molecules do NOT contain carbon |
| polymerization | the process of joining monomers together to make polymers |
| monomer | A small molecule that connects together to form polymers. |
| polymer | A long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together. |
| macromolecule | made in living systems from smaller building blocks covalently bonded; four classes: proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids |
| carbohydrate | a class of molecules ranging from the small sugar molecules dissolved in soft drinks to large polysaccharides, such as the starch molecules |
| monosaccharide | single sugar monomers |
| dehydration synthesis | A chemical reaction in which two molecules covalently bond to each other with the removal of a water molecule. |
| disaccharide | 2 monosaccharides, linked using dehydration synthesis |
| polysaccharide | A polymer of up to over 1000 monosaccharides, formed by dehydration reactions. |
| hydrolysis | A chemical process that lyses, or splits, molecules by the addition of water. |
| lipid | macromolecules used for energy storage, cell membranes, and waterproofing |
| cholesterol | a sterol produced only by animals |
| protein | has monomers made of amino acids |
| amino acid | An organic molecule possessing both carboxyl and amino groups. Serve as the monomers of proteins. |
| peptide bond | covalent bond formed between amino acids |
| catalyst | a substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction |
| enzyme | a type of protein that speeds up the rate of chemical reaction in your body |
| nucleic acid | macromolecules that store and transmit hereditary, or genetic, information |
| nucleotide | The building block of a nucleic acid, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous bas and a phosphate group. |
| RNA | A single-stranded nucleic acid that passes along genetic messages taken from DNA |
| DNA | the double stranded molecule that contains the genetic code |
| cell | The microscopic, living building blocks that every living thing is made up of |
| cell theory | all living thing composed of cells, cells are the basic units of structure and function in living things, new cells produced from existing cells |
| cell membrane | thin, flexible barrier around a cell, regulates what enters and leaves the cell |
| cell wall | strong layer around the cell membrane in plants, algae, and some bacteria |
| nucleus | Contains DNA chromosomes, control center of the cell, contained in the nuclear envelope, nucleolus makes RNA. |
| eukaryote | organism with a nucleus |
| prokaryote | organism without a nucleus |
| nuclear envelope | double membrane perforated with pores that control the flow of materials in and out of the nucleus |
| nucleolus | structure inside the nucleus, where ribosomes are made |
| chromosome | a threadlike body in the cell nucleus that carries the genes in a linear order |
| cytoplasm | a jellylike fluid inside the cell in which the organelles are suspended |
| organelle | membrane bound structure inside a cell that performs a specific function |
| mitochondrion | an organelle containing enzymes responsible for producing energy |
| chloroplast | organelle in plant cells that converts the energy in sunlight into sugars |
| ribosome | small particle of RNA and protein that produces protein following instructions from nucleus |
| endoplasmic reticulum | a cell structure that forms a maze of passageways in which proteins and other materials are carried from one part of the cell to another |
| Golgi apparatus | Organelle that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum and send proteins to their final destination |
| lysosome | structure that breaks down food particles and worn out cell part |
| vacuole | storage structures for food, water, minerals, waste |
| plastid | stores food or contains pigment in plant cells (leukoplast is an example) |
| cytoskeleton | A network of microtubules, microfilaments, and intermediate filaments that branch throughout the cytoplasm and serve a variety of mechanical and trasport functions. |
| diffusion | movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration |
| selectively permeable | when some substances can pass through a membrane easily when others cannot |
| osmosis | The diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane. |
| facilitated diffusion | when substances transport across cell membranes using protein carrier molecules |
| active transport | to pump a molecule across a membrane agaist its gradient requires work; the cell must expend energy |
| cell specialization | cells are uniquely suited to perform a particular function |
| tissue | group of similar cells that perform a paritcular function |
| organ | composed of two or more tissue types and performs a specific function for the body |
| organ system | A group of organs that work together in performing vital body functions. |
| photosynthesis | plants use the energy of sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates |
| glucose | A sugar molecule made by producers during photosynthesis and "burned" by all organisms during respiration to make energy. |
| autotroph | an organim that makes its own food. |
| heterotroph | gets energy from eating other living things such as autotrophs |
| pigment | in plants, a compound that absorbs light and imports color |
| chlorophyll | green pigment in plants that absorbs light energy used to carry out photosynthesis |
| ATP | adenosine triphosphate - what the cell uses for energy |
| light reaction | the first stage of photosynthesis during which energy from light is used for the production of ATP and NADPH |
| dark reaction | the second stage of photosynthesis that starts with ATP, NADPH, and Carbon dioxide and produces glucose |
| photosystem | Light-collecting units of the chloroplast |
| electron transport chain | the series of molecules through which excited electrons are passed along a thylakoid membrane |
| Calvin cycle | uses ATP and NADPH from the light-dependent reactions to produce glucose; also known as the dark reaction in photosynthesis |
| glycolysis | 1st step in realeasing the energy of glucose, in which a molecule of glucose is broken into 2 molecules of pyruvic acid. |
| respiration | the process by which most living things break food down into energy when oxygen is present |
| aerobic | Presence of oxygen |
| Krebs cycle | second stage of cellular respiration, in which pyruvic acid is broken into carbon dixide in a series of energy extracting reactions; also called Citric Acid Cycle |
| fermentation | process by which cells release energy in the absence of oxygen |
| anaerobic | Absence of oxygen |
| lactic acid fermentation | the type of fermentation that creates lactic acid and gives muscle cells a weak and sore sensation |
| alcoholic fermentation | the process of breaking down sugars and creating alcohol, carbon dioxide, and a small amount of energy in yeasts and other microorganisms |
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