Flashcards: PSSA Science Vocabulary
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williammilstid on February 13, 2009
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PSSA Science vocabulary flashcards. Review key terms for test preparation.
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All 86 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 abiotic | a nonliving factor or element (light,water,heat,rock,energy,mineral) |
| acid deposition | precipitatation with a pH less than 5.6 that forms in the atmosphere when certain pollutants mix with water vapor |
| alllele | any of a set of possible forms of a gene |
| biochemical conversion | the changing of organic matter into other chemical forms |
| biological diversity | the variety and complexity of species present and interacting in an ecosystem and the relative abundance of each |
| biomass conversion | the changing of organic matter that has been produced by photosynthesis into uselful liquid, gas, or fuel |
| biomedical technology | the application of health care theories to develop methods, products and tools to maintain or improve homeostasis |
| biomes | a community of living organisms of a single major ecological region |
| biotechnology | the ways that humans apply biological concepts to produce products and provide services |
| biotic | an enviromental factor related to or produced by living organisms |
| carbon chemistry | the science of the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of carbon based matter, especially of atomic and molecular systems; sometimes referred to as organic chemistry |
| closing the loop | a link in the circular chain of recycling events that promotes the use of products made with recycled materials |
| commodities | economic goods or products before they are processed and/or given a brand name, such as a product of agriculture |
| composting | the process of mixing decaying leaves, manure and other nutritive matter to improve and fertilize soil |
| construction technology | the ways that humans build structures on sites |
| consumer | 1) those organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms and their remains 2) a person buying goods or sevices for personal needs or to use in the production of other goods for resale |
| decomposer | an organism, often microscopic in size, that obtains nutrients by consuming dead organic matter, thereby making nutrients accessible to other organisms; examples of decomposers include fungi, scavengers, rodents, and other animals |
| delineate | to trace the outline; to draw, to sketch, to depict or picture |
| desalinization | to remove salts and other chemicals from sea or saline salt water |
| dichotomous | divided or dividing into two parts or classifications |
| ecosystem | a community of living organisms and their interrelated physical and chemical environment |
| electronic communication | system for the transmission of information using electronic technology (digital cameras, cellular phones, Internet, television, fiber optics |
| embryology | the branch of biology dealing with the development of living things from fertilized egg to its developed state |
| endangered species | a species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range |
| engineering | the application of scientific, physical, mechanical and mathematical principals to design processes, products, and structures that improve the quality of life |
| enviroment | the total of the surroundings (air,water,soil,vegetation, people,wildlife) influencing each living being's existence, including physical, biological and all other factors; the surroundings of a plant or animals including other plants or animals, climate and location |
| enzyme | a protein that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being changed by the reaction; an organic catalyst |
| equilibrium | the ability of an ecosystem to maintain stability among its biological resources (e.g., forest,fisheries,crops) so that there is a steady optimum yield |
| ergonomical | of or relating to the design of equipment or devices to fit the human body's control, position, movement, and environment |
| evolution | a process of change that explains why what we see today is different from what existed in the past; it includes changes in the galaxies, stars, solar system, earth and life on earth. Biological evolution is a change in hereditary characteristics of groups of arganisms over the course of generations |
| extinction | the complete elimination of a species from the earth |
| fact | information that has been objectively verified |
| geological hazard | a naturally occurring or man-made condition or phenomenon that presents a risk or is a potential danger to life and property (e.g.,landslides,floods, earthquakes, ground subsidence, coastal and beach erosion, faulting, dam leakage and failure, mining disasters, pollution, and waste disposal, sinkholes) |
| geological map | a representation of a region on which is recorded earth information (e.g.,the distribution, nature, and age relationships of rock units and the occurrences of structural features, mineral deposits and fossil localities |
| groundwater | water that infiltrates the soil and is locatead in underground reservoirs call aquifers |
| hazardous waste | a solid that, because of its quantity or concentration or its physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics, may cause or pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of, or otherwise managed |
| homeostasis | the tendency for a system to remain in a state of equilibrium by resisting change |
| hydrology | the scientific study of the properties, distribution and effects of water on the earth's surface, in the soil and underlying rocks and in the atmosphere |
| hypothesis | an assertion subject to verification or proof as a premise from which a conclusion is drawn |
| incinerating | burning to ashes; reducing to ashes |
| information technology | the technical means that humans create to store and transmit information |
| inquiry | a systematic process for using knowledge and skills to acquire and apply new knowledge |
| instructional technology | any mechanical aid (including computer technology) used to assist in or enhance the process of teaching and learning |
| integrated pest management | a variety of pest control methods that include repairs, traps, bait, poison, etc. to eliminate pests |
| law | summarizing statement of observed experimental facts that has been tested many times and is generally accepted as true |
| lentic | relating to or living in still water |
| lotic | relating to or living in actively moving water |
| manufacturing technology | the ways that humans produce goods and products |
| mitigation | the policy of constructing or creating man-made habitats, such as wetlands, to replace those lost to development |
| mitosis | the sequential differentiation and segregation of replicated chromosomes in a cell's nucleus that precedes complete cell division |
| model | a description, analogy or a representation of something that helps us understand it better (e.g.,a physical model, a conceptual model, a mathematical model) |
| niche (ecological) | the role palyed by anorganism in an ecosystem; its food preferences, requirements for shelter, special behaviors and the timing of its activities (e.g.,nocturnal,diurnal) interaction with other organisms and its habitat |
| nonpoint source pollution | contamination that originates from many locations that all discharge into a location (e.g.,a lake,stream,land area) |
| nonrenewable resources | substances (e.g.,oil,gas,coal,copper,gold) that, once used, cannnot be replaced in this geological age |
| nova | a variable star that suddenly increases in brightness to several times its normal magnitude and returns to its original appearance in a few weeks to several months or years |
| patterns | repeated processes that are exhibited in a wide variety of ways; identifiable recurrences of the element and/or the form |
| pest | a label applied to an organism when it is in competition with humans for some resource |
| physical technology | the ways that humans construct, manufacture and transport products |
| point source pollution | pollutants discharged from a single identifiable location (e.g., pipes,ditches,channels,sewers,tunnels,containers of various types) |
| radioactive isotope | an atom that gives off nuclear radiation and has the same number of protons (atomic number) as another atom but a different number of neutrons |
| recycling | collecting and reprocessing a resource or product to make into new products |
| regulation | a rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law |
| renewable | a naturally occurring raw material or form of energy that will be replenished through natural ecological cycles or sound management practices (e.g.,the sun,wind,water,trees) |
| risk management | a strategy developed to reduce or control the chance of harm or loss to one's health or life; the process of identifying, evaluating, selecting and implementing actions to reduce risk to human health and to ecosystems |
| scale | relates concepts and ideas to one another by some measurement (e.g.,quantitative, numeral,abstract,ideological);provides a measure of size and /or incremental change |
| science | search for understanding the natural world using inquiry and experimentation |
| shredder | through chewing and/or grinding, microorganisms feed on non-woody coarse particulate matter,primarily leaves |
| stream order | energy and nutrient flow that increases as water moves toward the ocean (e.g.,the smallest stream (primary) that ends when rivers flow into oceans) |
| succession | the series of changes that occur in an ecosystem with the passing of time |
| sustainability | the ability to keep in existence or maintain. a sustainable ecosystem is one that can be maintained |
| system | a group of related objects that work together to achieve a desired result |
| closed loop system | a group of related objects that have feedback and can modify themselves |
| open loop system | a group of related objects that do not have feedback and cannot modify themselves |
| subsystem | a group of related objects that make up a larger system (e.g.,automobiles have electrical systems, fuel systems) |
| technological design process | recognizing the problem, proposing a solution, evaluating the solution and communicating the problem, design, and solution |
| technology education | the application of tools,materials, processes, and system to solve problems and extend human capabilities |
| theory of evolution | a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modification in successive generation |
| theory | systematically organized knowledge applicable in a relatively wide variety of circumstances;especially, a system of assumptions, accepted principles and rules of procedure devised to analyze, predict or otherwise explain the nature or behavior of a specified set of phenomena |
| tool | any device used to extend human capability including computer-based tools |
| topographic map | a representation of a region on a sufficient scale to show detail, selected man-made and natural features of a portion of the land surface including its relief and certain physical and cultural features; the portrayal of the position, relation, size, shape, and elevation of the area |
| transportation systems | a group of related parts that function together to perform a major task in any form of transportation |
| transportation technology | the physical ways humans move materials, goods and people |
| trophic levels | the role of an organism in nutrient and energy flow within an ecosystem (e.g.,herbivore,carnivore,decomposer) |
| waste stream | the flow of (waste) materials from generation, collection and seperation to disposal |
| watershed | the land of area from which surface runoff drains into a stream, channel, lake, reservoir, or other body of water; also called a drainage basin |
| wetlands | lands where water saturation is the dominant factor determining the nature of the soil development and the plant and animal communities (e.g.,sloughs,estuaries, marshes) |