| Terms |
Definitions |
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centi
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1/100
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phosphorus
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P
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nimbostratus
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status rain clouds
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marble
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example of metamorphic rock
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X-rays
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high-frequency electromagnetic waves used in medicine, dentistry, and in airport security to “see” inside solid objects
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climate
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the year-round atmospheric conditions typical of a certain place
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waves
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rhythmic back-and-forth motions of water that transfer energy through the water
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abrasion
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sandblasting action of windblown sand
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newton
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the SI unit of force
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watt
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the SI unit of power
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troposphere
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the “weather layer” of the atmosphere
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compound
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substance composed of different types of atoms linked together
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thunderstorms
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a localized storm involving lightning, thunder, turbulent winds, heavy rain, and sometimes hail
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supercell
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a fierce, single updraft thunderstorm that may spread 5 to 10 miles in diameter, tower up to 65,000 feet in the air, and spawn microbursts, hail and one tornado after another; the most powerful type of thunderstorm
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mesopause
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the coldest point in the atmosphere
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Homo habilis
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a 3-foot tall, chimpanzeelike “missing link” wrongly classified in the same genus as man
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personal computer
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small, relatively inexpensive computer designed for home and business use
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fossils
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the preserved remains of plants, animals, or humans in sedimentary rock
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Wilhelm Roentgen
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German scientist who discovered X-rays
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magnet
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object capable of attracting objects such as iron or steel
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extinct volcano
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will probably not erupt again
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seismograph
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an instrument used to record the vibrations caused by earthquakes
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atomic mass
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the average mass (protons and neutrons) of the various isotopes of an element compared to the mass of a carbon-12 atom
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quark
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particle that may compose protons and neutrons
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striae
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large, deep grooves and scratches in rock, produced by glaciers
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punctuated equilibrium hypothesis
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the evolutionary hypothesis that states new kinds of organisms arise as a result of drastic environmental changes, which cause the species to radically change in just a few generations
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delta
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a fan-shaped deposit of sediments that forms at the mouth of a river
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vector quantity
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a physical quantity having both magnitude and direction; an example is velocity
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Aristotle
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Greek philosopher who taught that pure white light contains no color
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north magnetic pole
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It is magnetically an S-pole.
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magnetization methods
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by contact, by electricity, by induction
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ejecta
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any substance emitted by an active volcano
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composite volcano
|
volcano formed partly by explosive eruptions of ash and rock fragments and partly by mild lava flows
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structural formula
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chemical formula giving the general arrangement of atoms in a molecule
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acids
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ionic compounds that have a sour taste, cause litmus to turn red, and can dissolve many metals; release hydrogen ions (H+) when dissolved in water
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isomers
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two carbon compounds that have the same number and type of atoms, but different structural formulas
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quantum theory
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states that tiny particles such as electrons do not absorb or release energy smoothly
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conglomerate rock
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a sedimentary rock that consists of smooth pebbles embedded in hardened sand or clay
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radar
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a device that uses radio waves to direct objects to measure their distance
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stepped leader
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in a lightning bolt, the barely visible stream of electrons that precedes the return stroke
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wave-mechanical model
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model of the atom that portrays electrons as waves circling the nucleus
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special creation
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the belief that God called the universe and all that is in it into existence out of nothing or “ex nihilo”
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erosion
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the process by which soil, sand, or rock fragments produced by weathering are carried away by wind or water
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volt
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the unit used to measure the force with which an electric current flows
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short circuit
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occurs when electricity is given the opportunity to take a “short cut” through a circuit, avoiding the load
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acceleration
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in physics, any change in speed, in direction, or in both speed an direction
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polarized
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a beam of light containing wave that all vibrate in the same direction
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magnetic equator
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an imaginary circle around the earth halfway between the two magnetic poles
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transition zone
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zone in between, where the upper mantle merges into the lower mantle
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physical properties
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properties that can be observed or measured without changing a substance into a different substance
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corundum
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two forms of this mineral are ruby and sapphire
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entropy
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the amount of decay or disorder in a system
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fog
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a stratus cloud at the surface of the earth, formed when water vapor condenses in a layer of air near the ground
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return stroke
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the visible stage of a lightning bolt, in which a large electric current begins to flow
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oceanic deep
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an area of the sea exceeding 6000m (19,685 ft) in depth
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moraines
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the piles of debris left behind when a glacier melts
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moraine
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a pile of debris left behind when a glacier melts
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black
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the absence of all colors of light is perceived as this
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electric charge
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always moves to the outside of the charged object
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Circum-Pacific belt
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area where about 80% of the world’s earthquakes occur
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mutation
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a random change in the DNA code, which occurs whena segment of DNA is copied incorrectly
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elastic rebound theory
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states that rocks spring back to a position of little or no strain at the moment of an earthquake, causing vibrations in the earth’s crust
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alkaline earth metals
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the elements in group IIA – harder and denser than alkali metals
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theory of relativity
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states that all motion is relative to some reference point and that the speed of light is constant in relation to an observer
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domain theory
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the magnetic field of a magnet is the sum of thousands of smaller fields, each produced by billions of atoms containing unpaired, spinning electrons
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advantages of integrated circuits over separate circuit components
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integrated circuits are much cheaper to manufacture; integrated circuits are much more reliable; integrated circuits are extremely small
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When does a short circuit occur?
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When electricity is given the opportunity ot take a “short cut” through a circuit, avoiding the load
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SI (International System of Units) or metric system
|
the standard system of measurements used by scientists around the world
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maritime tropical (mT) air mass
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a moist air mass that forms over the warm oceans of the tropics, bringing warm, humid weather
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