Memorization

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science - a way to answer measurable questions

fact - an accurate measurement

hypothesis - a testable (measurable) guess

theory - makes new predictions (most important!), and explains facts. A theory is NOT a type of guess!

significant figures - a way of writing numbers that shows the amount of uncertainty in the measurements

density = mass/volume

temperature - how quickly atoms are wiggling; average kinetic energy of wiggling atoms

physical change - changing a material's properties, without changing the substance

chemical change - a chemical reaction; rearranging the atoms into a new substance

mixture - multiple substances, not chemically combined

The four fundamental forces: gravity, electromagnetism, strong & weak (the nuclear forces)

element - substance made of only one kind of atom

compound - different kinds of atoms, chemically combined

proton - positive particle, located inside nucleus

neutron - neutral particle, located inside nucleus

electron - negative particle, located in a cloud outside the nucleus

atomic number - number of protons

mass number - number of protons + number of neutrons

atomic mass - average mass of an element's isotopes

isotope - same element with different numbers of neutrons

ion - an electrically charged atom; atom with different numbers of protons and electrons

valence electrons - electrons in an atom's outer energy level

period - a row on the periodic table; the number of periods equals the number of energy levels in the atom

family (or group) - a column on the periodic table; elements in the same family have the same number of valence electrons

radioactivity - the nucleus falling apart

half life - the time required for half of a radioactive material to decay

fission - a heavy nucleus (usually uranium) splitting into lighter elements

fusion - two light nuclei (usually hydrogen) combining into a heavier element

Big Bang theory in one sentence: the universe started very small, then expanded.

name the layers of earth - inner core (solid iron), outer core (liquid iron), mantle (solid rock), asthenosphere (semi-liquid rock), lithosphere (solid rock)

plate tectonics - the theory that says the lithosphere is made of plates that move; earthquakes and volcanoes usually happen at the edges of the plates

hot spots - hot spots in the mantle that create volcanoes away from plate boundaries (Hawaii, for example)

3 types of plate boundaries: convergent (coming together), divergent (pulling apart), transform (sliding past each other)

3 types of convergent boundaries: oceanic crust-oceanic crust, continental crust-continental crust, oceanic crust-continental crust

moraine - a hill of gravel made by a glacier