TN Academic Vocabulary: Science flashcards

Terms	Definitions
absorption	(chemistry) a process in which one substance permeates another
amplitude	greatness of magnitude
classification	the act of distributing things into classes or categories of the same type
commensalism	the relation between two different kinds of organisms when one receives benefits from the other without damaging it
consumer	a person who uses goods or services
decomposer	organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
solar eclipse	the moon interrupts light from the sun
lunar eclipse	the earth interrupts light shining on the moon
energy transformations	A change from one form of energy to another
extinction	no longer in existence
food web	(ecology) a community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains
forms of energy	Potential and kinetic
fossils	the perserved trace, imprint, or remains of a plant or animal
frequency	the number of occurrences within a given time period (usually 1 second)
heat flow	another term for heat transfer, the transfer of energy from a warmer object to a cooler object
mutualism	the relation between two different species of organisms that are interdependent
nuclear power	nuclear energy regarded as a source of electricity for the power grid (for civilian use)
parasitism	the relation between two different kinds of organisms in which one receives benefits from the other by causing damage to it (usually not fatal damage)
producer	something that produces
reflection	the image of something as reflected by a mirror (or other reflective material)
refraction	the amount by which a propagating wave is bent
relative age	the age of an object in relation to the ages of other objects
seasons	are the periods of the year that are distinguished by special climate conditions.
sedimentary rocks	Rocks formed from the weathering, erosion, deposition, and compaction of other rocks
tides	the regular rise and fall of the ocean's surface influenced by the moon's gravity pulling on earth
wave	one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water). A crest and trough in ocean water.
wavelength	the distance (measured in the direction of propagation) between two points in the same phase in consecutive cycles of a wave