EOG Vocabulary
General
Dependant variable – depends on
independent variable (very dependable so
does not change on its own)
Independent variable- “I” Change
Control- compare variables to this
Placebo- fake drug
Hypothesis- If…then statement to predict
what you think will happen
Inference- come to a conclusion without
proper evidence
Qualitative- written data; “l” stands for
“letters”
Quantitative- numerical data; “n” stands
for “numbers
Evidence- supports your conclusion
Technology- creation and use of technical
means and how they interact with life
Artifact- something from ancient times
Mean- average
Microlife
Microbe- bacteria
Contagion- an infection that spreads
Mutagen- something that causes a genetic
mutation
Anti-microbial- a drug to get rid of
bacteria
Biotechnology- jobs that deal with the
making of drugs, environmental
management, and recycling
Bacteria- a microorganism that can be
considered good or bad
Virus- an infectious agent that only
replicates in a living host cell
Cell wall- gives support and protection to
plant and bacteria cells (police)
Cell Membrane- surrounds the cell and
decides what goes into and out of the cell
(police or fence)
Cytoplasm- jelly substance that fills up
the cell (people of city)
Nucleus- control center (governor)
Vector- an organism that gives a disease
to a bigger organism (mosquito)
Host- a parasite gets its nutrients from a
plant or animal host cell
Carrier- an organism that carries a
disease
Parasite- something that lives on or in
another species in order to survive
Pathogen- any agent that makes diseases
Carcinogen- causes cancer
Multicellular- made of more than one cell
Unicellular- made only of one cell
Homeostasis- maintain internal stability
(temperature, pH)
Prokaryote- no true nucleus
Eukaryote- true nucleus
Photosynthesis- plants use energy from
the sun to make their own food
Cellular respiration- process cells use to
create energy for the cell
Permeable- allows substances to go
through
Diffusion- substances moving into and out
of a cell from high concentration to low
concentration
Osmosis- water moving into and out of a
cell
Chemistry
Natural substance- organic things not
made from a factory or processed
Synthetic substance- man-made; not
found in nature
Proton- positive particle found in nucleus
Neutron- neutral particle found in
nucleus
Electron- negative particle found in
energy shells around nucleus
Nucleus- made of protons and neutrons in
the center of atom
Atom- the smallest unit of matter
Atomic number- number of protons
(electrons are the same number unless
ion)
Atomic mass- protons + neutrons
Family- vertical columns on PT; families
have similar characteristics
Period- horizontal rows on PT
Mendeleev- created first PT
Mass- the amount of matter (how much of
a substance)
Volume- the amount of space something
occupies
State of matter- solid, liquid, gas, plasma
Solid- particles do not move
Liquid- particles are free flowing
Gas- particles move quickly throughout
entire area
Change of state (physical change)- when a
substance changes between states of
matter
Sublimation- solid to a gas (dry ice)
Boiling point- when molecules move fast
enough to go between liquid and gas
Freezing point- when molecules move
slow enough to go from liquid to solid
Melting point- when molecules move fast
enough to go from solid to liquid
Compound- a mixture with more than
one element (H2O, HCl)
Mixture-things mixed together to create
one substance
Homogeneous- the same throughout
Heterogeneous- can see the different parts
throughout a substance
Solution- one thing dissolved in another
(sugar water)
Specific heat- energy required to raise 1g
of a substance by 1 degree celsius
pH- potential of hydrogen; how acidic or
basic something is
Universal solvent- water
Dissolved gases- gases dissolved in water
Density- mass/volume
Concentration- the strength of a solution
Precipitate- mixing two liquids creates a
solid (milk and vinegar)
Malleability- able to hammer into sheets
Chemical change- changing around the
atoms and making a new substance
(cannot go back to original state)
Physical change- changing the
appearance of something but keeping the
same chemicals (can go back to original
state)
Products- right side of the equation
Reactants- left side of the equation
Coefficient- number in front of element or
compound
Conservation of matter- number of
reactants must be equal to number of
products of each element
Reaction- mixing compounds/elements to
create a new substance
Dose- how much of a substance you get
Exposure- how often you are introduced
to the substance
Potency- how strong a substance is
Susceptibility- how likely you are to be
affected by a substance
Ductile- being able to stretch into wire
Conductor- allows flow of electrons to
produce electricity
Metalloid- having factors of metals and
nonmetals; on the staircase on PT
Molecule- smallest unit of an element
Crop yield- how much can be produced
from a crop
Food preservative- put on food so that it
will last longer
Hydrosphere
Distribution of water on earth- saltwater97%; freshwater- 3%
Local water availability- water available
for us to use found mostly in groundwater
and rivers
Estuaries- where a river meets an ocean
and is brakish
River basins- land drained into a river
Upwelling- cold water from the deep
ocean rises to the surface bringing
nutrients
Groundwater- where most of our
drinking water comes from
Polar ice- ice frozen in the poles
Glaciers- frozen freshwater; most
freshwater found here
Marine ecosystem- things living in the sea
Terrestrial Food web- shows relations
among land organisms
Aquatic food web- shows relations among
water organisms
Cohesion- water likes itself (water going
up straw)
Adhesion- water likes other molecules
(water going up paper towel)
Polarity- molecule that has a positive and
negative end
Buoyancy- being able to float
Hydrosphere- all of earth’s water
Dissolved oxygen- the amount of oxygen
in water; high temp. low oxygen & vice
versa
Turbidity- how many particles are in
water
Run-off- water that runs off land
Nitrates- nitrogen found in water from
fertilizers
Phosphates- nutrients found in water
from fertilizers
Algal bloom- algae that comes from too
many nutrients in water; takes oxygen out
of water
Point source- pollution we know the exact
source (pipe)
Non-point source- pollution we don’t
know origination (run off)
Solute- “U” dissolve
Solvent- does the dissolving (usually
water)
Surface Tension- tightness across top of
water (water on penny head)
Condensation- gas to liquid (clouds)
Evaporation- liquid to gas
Precipitation- when clouds become too
heavy and water falls as rain, snow, sleet,
etc
Watershed- large area around a river that
brings water to that river
Aquifer- water stored undergound
Intertidal Zone- between high and low
tide
Neritic Zone- extending from low tide out
Benthic Zone- lowest level of ocean
Hydrothermal Vent- crack in ocean floor
where many marine animals lives
SONAR- uses sound to map sea floor
Eutrophication- lots of nutrient build up
causing fish to die
Bio-indicator- animals used to monitor
health of ecosystem
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)used to capture and store data and create
maps (google earth)
Remote Sensing- finding information
through satellites
Ground Truthing- finding info about
land by physically going there and
measuring data
Evolution
Law of superposition- rock layers on top
are younger than ones below it
Natural selection- Charles Darwins
theory that says the best features of an
animal are passed on to the next
generation
Intrusion- igneous rock that juts up
through other rock layers
Geologic time scale- a system to measure
our time periods
Period- smaller than an era
Era- long period of time
Cambrian Boundary- time period of
increase in plants and animals
Ice cores- sample of ice removed from an
ice sheet
Index Fossil- used to identify geological
periods and relative age
Extinction- a species that is no longer
alive
Fossil Record- record of all the fossils
ever found on earth
Relative Age- approximate age
Absolute Age- exact age
Radioactive Dating- a way to use
radioactive material to find the relative
age of a fossil
Half-life- a way to find the age of a fossil
Plate Tectonics- theory that the land and
water on earth sits on plates that float on
magma
Continental Drift- theory that all the
continents have drifted apart from
Pangaea
Evolution- change over time
Adaptation- changing based on
environmnet
Mutation- change in genetic make-up
(always at birth)
Divergent boundary- plates that
separate/divide
Convergent boundary- plates that push
together/ converge
Transform boundary- plates that slide
past each other
Mechanical weathering- changing the
physical features (water eroding surface)
Chemical weathering- changing the
chemical features (rusting, turning to
limestone)