PHYSICAL SCIENCE VOCABULARY
Lesson 1 – Matter, Mass, and Weight
1. matter: anything that has mass and takes up space
2. mass: the amount of matter an object has
3. weight: the measure of the amount of gravity acting on an object’s
mass
4. volume: the amount of space taken up by matter
5. density: the amount of mass an object has in a known volume
Lesson 2 – States of Matter
6. state: one of the three main forms of matter
7. solid: a state of matter that has a fixed shape and volume
8.
9.
liquid: a state of matter that has a fixed volume, but its shape
changes to match the shape of its container
gas: a state of matter that does not have a fixed shape or volume
10. physical change: a change in the appearance of matter without
actually changing the matter itself
Lesson 3 – Physical Properties of Matter
11. physical property: a characteristic of matter that can be observed
or measured and can be changed without changing the matter itself
12.
property: a characteristic used to describe matter
13.
texture: how a substance feels or looks
14.
odor: how a substance smells
15. conductor: a substance that allows electricity to easily travel
through it
16. insulator: a substance that does not let electricity pass through it
easily
17.
magnetic: a description of substances attracted to magnetic force
18. boiling point: the temperature at which a substance changes from
a liquid to a gas
19. melting point: the temperature at which a substance changes from
a solid to a liquid
Lesson 4 – Mixtures and Solutions
20. mixture: a combination of two or more substances that do not join
together to form a new substance
21. solution: a mixture in which the substances are spread out evenly
between one another and cannot be told apart
22.
dissolve: to form a solution with another substance
23.
invisible: cannot be seen
Lesson 5 – Force and Motion
24.
force: a push or pull
25.
motion: movement
26.
friction: a force that works against motion
27.
gravity: the force that pulls objects toward one another
28.
inertia: the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion
Lesson 6 – Light
29. light: a form of energy that travels in waves and can move through
empty space
30.
reflection: the bouncing back of light waves off of a surface
31. refraction: the bending of light waves as they travel from one
surface to another
32. convex lens: a lens that is thicker in the center and thinner at the
edges, a shape that bends light inward
33. concave lens: a lens that is thinner in the center and thicker at the
edges, a shape that bends light outward
Lesson 7 – Sound
34.
sound: a form of energy produced by vibrating objects
35.
vibrate: move back and forth rapidly
Lesson 8 – Forms of Energy
36.
energy: the ability to do work
37.
solar energy: energy from the sun
38.
kinetic energy: the energy of motion
39.
potential energy: energy that is stored in an object
Lesson 9 – Flow of Electricity
40.
electricity: a form of energy produced inside particles of matter
41.
current: the movement (flow) of electricity in a certain path
42.
source of energy: where the energy comes from
43. conductor: a substance that allows electricity to easily travel
through it
44. insulator: a substance that does not let electricity pass through it
easily