Science L to J Vocabulary
Earth Systems, Structures, and Processes (Weather)
1. wind speed how quickly air moves
2. wind direction the direction from which moving air is coming
3. temperature the measure of the warmth or coldness of an object
4. latitude the distance north or south of the Earth’s equator
5. hemisphere half of the Earth
6. barometer a device for measuring air pressure
7. air pressure the force put on a given area by the weight of the air above it
8. anemometer a device that measures wind speed
9. wind vane a device used to show the wind’s direction
10.atmosphere the blanket of gases that surrounds Earth
11.jet stream strong winds that usually travel west
12.water currents large amounts of water moving in a similar direction
13.rain gauge a device used to measure the amount of precipitation
14.thermometer a device used to measure a change in temperature
15.cirrus a high-altitude cloud with a featherlike shape, made of ice crystals
16.stratus a cloud that forms in a blanket-like layer
17.cumulus a puffy cloud that appears to rise up from a flat bottom
18.fronts a boundary between air masses with different temperatures
19.global patterns constant conditions that affect weather in a certain part of the world
Force and Motion
20.acceleration Change in velocity with respect to time.
21.action The force one object applies to a second, as in Newton’s third law of motion,
22.balanced forces When two forces cancel each other out.
23.Distance/Time Graph a line graph using to show how far an object moves over time.
Calculates Speed.
24.Drag the friction of air on a moving object.
25.
force a push or pull exerted by one object on another, causing a change in motion.
26.friction A force that opposes the motion of one object moving past another.
27.gravity The force of attraction between any two objects due to their mass.
28.inertia The tendency of a moving object to keep moving in a straight line or of any
object to resist a change in motion.
29.mass A measure of the amount of matter in an object.
30.momentum The force with which something moves. Depends on the mass and speed
of the object.
31.reaction The force with which an object responds to an action, as in Newton’s third
law of motion.
32.speed how fast an object’s position changes with time at any given moment.
33.unbalanced forces Forces that do not cancel each other out when acting together on a
single object.
34.velocity the speed and direction of a moving object
Ecosystems
35.Aquatic – living in water
36.Climate – the average weather pattern of a region
37.Consumers – any animal that eats plants or eats other plant-eating animals
38.Continental shelf - the gently sloping undersea area surrounding a continent at depths
of up to 200 m/656 ft.
39.Deciduous forest – a biome with many kinds of trees that lose their leaves each
autumn
40.Decomposers – any of the fungi or bacteria that break down dead plants and animals
into useful things like minerals and rich soil
41.Ecosystems – all the living and nonliving things in an environment, including their
interactions with each other
42.Energy pyramid – shows that less and less food and energy are available as you go
from the base to the top
43.Estuary - the wide lower course of a river where the tide flows in, causing fresh and
salt water to mix
44.Fauna - the animal life of a particular region
45.Fertile - describes soil or land that is rich in the nutrients needed to sustain the growth
of healthy plants
46.Flora - plant life
47.Food chain – the path of the energy from one organism to another
48.Food web – the overlapping food chains in an ecosystem
49.Grasslands – a biome where grasses, not trees, are the main plant life. Prairies are one
kind of this region.
50.Lakes - a large body of water surrounded by land
51.Ocean - a large expanse of salt water
52.Photosynthesis – the food-making process in green plants that uses sunlight
53.Plankton – organisms that float on the water in aquatic ecosystems
54.Pond - a small, still body of water
55.Producer – any of the plants and algae that produce oxygen and food that animals
need
56.Rainforest - a thick evergreen tropical forest found in areas of heavy rainfall and
containing trees with broad leaves that form a continuous canopy
57.Salt marsh - a grassland area regularly flooded with salt water
58.Species - a subdivision of a genus considered as a basic biological classification and
containing individuals that resemble one another and may interbreed.
59.Shoreline - the land where a body of water, especially the ocean, meets the shore
60.Symbiosis – a relationship between two different organisms that lasts over time
61.Terrestrial - living or growing on land rather than in the sea or the air
Matter: Properties and Change
62. Abiotic - The nonliving parts of an ecosystem. (B6)
63. Biotic - All of the living parts of an ecosystem. (B7)
64. Condensation – The changing of a gas into a liquid. (pp. B50, D39, E37)
65. Conduction – The passing of heat through a material while the material itself
stays in place. (p. E14)
66. Convection – The flow of heat through a liquid or a gas, causing hot parts to rise and
cooler parts to sink. (p. E97)
67. Convection Cell – A circular pattern of air rising, air sinking, and wind. (p. D55)
68. Electromagnetic Waves - A wave of energy consisting of electric and magnetic
fields swinging at right angles to each other.
69. Evaporation – The slow changing of a liquid into a gas. (pp. B50, D38, E38)
70. Precipitation – Any form of water particles that falls from the atmosphere and
reaches the ground. (pp. B51, D46)
71. Qualitative- Pertaining to the description of matter where the data can be
observed but not measured
72.Quantatative - Pertaining to the describing or measuring of quantity of matter.
73. Radiation – The transfer of heat through electromagnetic rays. (p. E97)
74. Runoff – Precipitation that flows across the land’s surface or falls into rivers and
streams. (pp. B51, C20)
75. Thermal Energy - The internal energy of a system that is responsible for the
temperature of the system.
76. Transfer- Energy transfer is the transfer of energy from one system, or organism, to
another system, or organism.
77. Transpiration – The loss of water through a plant’s leaves (pp. A35, A38, D39)
78. Water Cycle – The continuous movement of water between Earth’s surface and the
air, changing from liquid to gas to liquid. (pp. B51, C74)
79. Weight – The force of gravity between Earth and an object. (pp. E7, F36)
Structures and Functions of Living Organisms
blood vessels – flexible tubes that carry blood around the body
brain – the command center that controls all the other body systems
circulatory system – transports oxygen, food, and waste through the body
digestive system – breaks down food into particles small enough to be absorbed
into your bloodstream
84. esophagus – muscular tube that pushes food into the stomach
85. heart – a muscle that pumps the blood
86. intestines – coiled up tubes where food is broken down small enough so the
nutrients can pass through the walls and into your blood
87.
lungs – take in oxygen when we breathe in and get rid of carbon dioxide gas every
time you breathe out
88. mouth – teeth cut and tear food; saliva helps break it down
89. muscular system – helps you move and maintain posture
90. nerves – bundles of fibers that carry messages to and from the brain; controls your
muscles
91. nervous system –the system for communication and control
92. nose – when you breathe in air with oxygen in it enters through here
93. organisms – any living thing
94. respiratory system – helps the body use the air you breathe
95. single-celled – made up of only one cell
96. skeletal system – forms a framework to support the body and to help protect
internal soft tissues
97. spinal cord – a thick band of nerve cells through which messages enter and leave
the brain
80.
81.
82.
83.
98.
99.
stomach –churns food and breaks it down further by digestive juices
trachea – a tube known as the windpipe that connects the throat to the lungs
Evolution and Genetics
100. characteristics – being a feature that helps to distinguish a person or thing
101. culture – beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics common to the
members of a particular group or society
102. genetics – the branch of biology that deals with heredity
103. inherited traits – characteristics that come from parents
104. offspring – a person's child or children
105. population – all the members of a single type of organism in an ecosystem