SCIENCE CAPT Strand 1

Terms	Definitions
Energy	The ability to do work or cause change.
Heat	A form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature.
Absorb	To soak up or take in.
Phase change	The reversible physical change that occurs when a substance changes from one state of matter to another, such as melting (solid gains energy to become a liquid).
Hydrogen Fuel Cell	An alternative, renewable energy source; this cell generates electricity by reacting hydrogen with oxygen. The only by-product is water vapor.
Alternative Energy Resources	A different option, or alternative choice, to using non-renewable fuel sources.
Appliance	A technological device that is very useful for a particular job.
Battery	A device that is usually found in portable objects and converts chemical energy to electrical energy.
Boiling point	The temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a gas.
Circuit	A connection of electrical elements forming a complete path for the flow of electrons, or current.
Condense or Condensation	To start off as a gas and end up as a liquid; a cooling down process as temperature goes down.
Conduct (electricity)	To allow electricity or heat to flow through.
Conduction	The direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance through direct contact.
Convection	The transfer of thermal energy by the circulation or movement of a "fluid" substance (liquid or gas)
Current	The flow of electrons, or electricity, through a conductor.
Energy Efficiency	The amount of actual usable energy from a resource.
Electricity	Energy made available by the flow of electrons through a conductor.
Electromagnet	A temporary magnet made by passing an electric current through coiling wire around an iron core.
Energy transformation	The process of changing one form of energy to another. This picture shows sunlight (radiant energy) being absorbed by the solar panels, which will convert the radiant energy into electrical energy.
Evaporate	To start off as a liquid and end up as a gas; a heating process.
Fission	Nuclear energy released from the splitting of nuclei, aka _____ (picture shows nuclear power plants, which contribute no air pollution but creates toxic waste that needs special storage)
Fossil fuel	A nonrenewable energy resource formed from the remains of oceanic micro-organisms that lived long ago; examples include crude oil/petroleum, coal, and natural gas.
Freeze	The phase change of a substance from a liquid to a solid.
Friction	The force that one surface exerts on another when the two rub against each other - releases thermal energy in the form of heat.
Fuel	A substance that can be consumed to produce energy. Energy is released when this is burned (combustion).
Incandescent bulb	Emitting light as a result of being heated. An electrical current passes through a thin filament, heating it until it produces light.
Insulator	A material, such as the hat and scarf in the picture, that does not allow heat or electrons to move through it easily.
Magnet, magnetic	Any material that attracts iron or materials containing iron.
Magnetism	Force of attraction (of opposite poles, N-S) or repulsion (of like poles, N-N or S-S)
Matter	Anything that has mass and takes up space : solid, liquid. gas or plasma - all composed of particles (atoms).
Melt	Phase change from a solid to liquid - energy enters and causes particles to move faster and spread further apart.
Natural gas	Fossil Fuel - A mixture of hydrocarbon gases that occurs naturally beneath the Earth's surface, often with or near petroleum (oil) deposits.
Nuclear Energy	The potential energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. This type of energy is released when nuclei split (fission) or come together (fusion). The solar flares on the sun represent this energy released as hydrogen nuclei undergo fusion.
Crude Oil	Thick liquid containing hydrocarbons that we extract from underground deposits and separate into products such as gasoline, heating oil, and asphalt. This is aka petroleum.
Particles	atoms or molecules that make up matter (solid, liquid and gas) are often referred to as ____.
Physical Property	a characteristic of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing the substance into another substance, ex) color, density, melting point, etc. Ice is still water, just in frozen form - if you melt it, it is still water!
Power plant	A plant, including engines, and the building or buildings necessary for the generation of power, as electric or nuclear power.
Precipitation	Rain, snow, sleet, dew, etc, formed by condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere.
Radiation	The process in which energy is emitted as particles or waves and transfers. ex) radiant energy from the sun.
Resistance	This could be an electrical device that resists the flow of electrical current; causing electric energy to be transformed into heat and often light.
Solar energy	Energy derived from the sun in the form of solar radiation or radiant (light) energy,
State of matter	One of the four principal conditions in which matter exists—solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.
Static electricity	A stationary electric charge built up on an insulating material.
Temperature	A measure of the warmth or coldness of an object or substance; quantitative evidence that measures average speed of particles.
Voltage	the pressure that pushes electrons in a circuit, more voltage = more push of electrons to get the electricity around the circuit.
Volume	The amount of space, measured in cubic units, that an object or substance occupies.
Wind	Air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
Joule	(J) = unit for work and energy