abiotic
physical rather than biological; not derived from living organisms |
acceleration
faster rate of improvement; rate of change of velocity with respect to time |
biotic
of or relating to living organisms |
chemical compound
a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight |
chemical element
any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter |
chemical energy
that part of the energy in a substance that can be released by a chemical reaction |
chemical reaction
a process in which one or more substances are changed into others |
comets
celestial object consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust and, when near the sun, a tail of gas and dust particles pointing away from the sun |
constant velocity
a speed that does not change how fast it is, or the direction that it is in |
continental drift
the gradual movement and formation of continents (as described by plate tectonics) |
continental glaciation
unrestricted ice sheets that once covered much of the northern continents but are now found only at high latitudes |
control
a relation of constraint of one entity (thing or person or group) by another; the state that exists when one person or group has power over another |
crustal deformation
referring to the physical deformation of land, the change occurs from within the earth's crust due to the folding and faulting processes that affect the continental plates |
dispersal
the act of dispersing or diffusing something |
DNA
a long linear polymer found in the nucleus of a cell and formed from nucleotides and shaped like a double helix; associated with the transmission of genetic information |
dominant
exercising influence or control; major; important; outweighing |
elements
substance composed of atoms having an identical number of protons in each nucleus |
forces
vector quantity that tends to produce an acceleration of a body in the direction of its application |
hypothesis
assumption; theory |
Law of Conservation of Matter
a fundamental principle of classical physics that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system |
monohybrid cross
genetic cross using a single trait with two alleles |
net forces
a measure of the force being exerted on an object; zero net force means an object is at rest or moving at a constant speed |
Newton laws of motion
three physical laws that together laid the foundation for classical mechanics |
pH
a figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a logarithmic scale on which 7 is neutral, lower values are more acid, and higher values more alkaline |
plate tectonics
the branch of geology studying the folding and faulting of the earth's crust |
Punnett square
a diagram that is used to predict an outcome of a particular cross or breeding experiment |
recessive traits
a genetic trait that results from the expression of the two recessive alleles |
rock cycle
an cycle of processes undergone by rocks in the earth's crust |
