| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Gravity | a force that pulls things to the center of the earth, the further you are in the atmosphere = less gravity |
| Force | a physical strength or power |
| Friction | a force that opposes motion |
| Momentum | Force or speed of movement |
| Law of conservation of momentum | the momentum of a system is conserved |
| System | parts working together to achieve a common goal |
| Subsystem | a system that is part of a larger system |
| Model System | represents 'real system' |
| Ecosystem | communities of living organisms interacting with their environment |
| Parts vs. Whole | the part makes up the whole, whole is made of many parts |
| Velocity vs. Speed | speed is how fast something is moving, velocity is speed with direction |
| Mass | how much matter is in something |
| Weight | the amount of mass of an object |
| Volume | an amount of space |
| Position | distance form origin |
| Direction | which way an object is moves |
| Potential Energy | the energy of position |
| Kinetic Energy | the energy of motion |
| Slope | an incline direction or angle |
| Specific meaning of slope b/t two variables | the rate of change of y over x/change in y over x |
| Acceleration | change in velocity |
| Experiment | a test under controlled condition that is made to demonstrate a known truth |
| controlled conditions | variables that could affect date collected and are held constant |
| Inertia | the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in straight line motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force. |
| Density | Mass per unit of volume |
| Botany | study of plants |
| Old Growth forest | An old [a few centuries] forest virtually untouched by humans |
| Stand | a group of trees |
| Canopy (levels) | foliage (Upper canopy, Understory ) |
| Epiphyte | a plant that grow on other plants but do not take nutrients back (take from air) |
| Lichen | a type of epiphyte |
| Moss | flowerless plants |
| Foliage | plants and tree leaves in a group |
| Chlorophyll | chemical that traps energy from sunlight |
| Photosynthesis | the cycle in which plants convert components into nutrients |
| Interaction | the act or process of interacting |
| Pressure | force acting per unit of area |
| Ecology | the study of how living things and their environment interact with each other |
| Vacuum | a space entirely lacking in matter |
| Snag | standing trunks of dead trees |
| Fungi | organisms from the kingdom Fungi |
| Tectonic plates | a number of plates that make up the earth's surface |
| Tsunami | a large wave in result to the shifting of the tectonic plates |
| Earthquake | a sudden movement of the earth's crust caused by the movement of the tectonic plates |
| Dynamic balance | when the parts of a system are in continuous motion so that the system does not change |
| Earth | the third planet from the sun |
| Prediction | a hypothesis |
| Model | an example made for imitation |
| Graph | a series of points that represent the value of data |
| independent variable | a variable that determines the value of other variables |
| dependent variable | a variable whose value is determined by the independent variable |
| energy | the capacity to do work |
| joule | unit of power |
| meter | fundamental unit of the metric system |
| second | a sixtieth of a minute |
| measurement | a distance, weight, height ect |
| hypothesis | an educated guess |
| theory | a substantiated hypothesis |
| data | a collection of information |
| science | the effort to discover, understand how the physical world functions |
| trend | a tendency |
| input | an entrance of a system |
| output | an exit of a system |
| equilibrium | balance |
| dynamic | changing |
| carbon dioxide | a gas that is made up of oxygen and carbon |
| oxygen | a gas that makes up 21% of the atmosphere |
| atmosphere | layers of gasses surrounding a planet |
| biosphere | the surface and atmosphere of a planet where organisms live |
| hydrosphere | the waters of the earth |
| geosphere (lithosphere) | solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle |
| wind | air moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure |
| current | a flow of something |
Combine with other sets
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