Science Olympiad Vocabulary Words Flashcards
(151 cards)
1
Q
The movement of materials from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration
A
Diffusion
2
Q
The parts of a plant that produce the female sex cells
A
Pistil
3
Q
The study of how organisms pass along traits over periods of time
A
Genetics
4
Q
The energy of motion
A
Kinetic Energy
5
Q
A nonliving part of an ecosystem
A
Abiotic
6
Q
The ability of a material to slow down or stop electric current
A
Resistance
7
Q
A forest biome characterized by long severe winters and short, cool summers
A
Taiga
8
Q
The property of matter that keeps an object at rest or moving in a straight line
A
Inertia
9
Q
A part of a cell that stores water and nutrients
A
Vacuole
10
Q
A point of land, usually high, that extends out into the water
A
Headland
11
Q
The gel-like substance that fills a cell
A
Cytoplasm
12
Q
The particle in an atom that has a negative charge
A
Electron
13
Q
Not allowing light to pass through
A
Opaque
14
Q
Microorganisms that have a cell membrane but no nuclei
A
Bacteria
15
Q
Decayed plant or animal material in soil
A
Humus
16
Q
A special form of diffusion that works to keep water inside the cells
A
Osmosis
17
Q
The downward movement of one plate at a convergent boundary
A
Subduction
18
Q
Convergent plate boundaries form where lithospheric plates collide along their boundaries with each other. (Cause earthquakes, ocean trenches, volcanoes, and mountain ranges)
A
Convergent Boundary
19
Q
Surface landforms of an area
A
Topography
20
Q
The cool, solid portion of the Earth that includes all of the crust and part of the upper mantle
A
Lithosphere
21
Q
A small, positively-charged atomic particle
A
Proton
22
Q
A basic unit that measures a force, such as gravity
A
Newton
23
Q
A living thing composed of a fungus and an algae which can survive in harsh environments
A
Lichen
24
Q
Something that slows or stops the flow of energy, such as heat, electricity, or sound
A
Insulator
25
Made up of only one cell
Unicellular
26
An animal that does not have a backbone
Invertebrate
27
A structure that performs specific functions in the cell
Organelle
28
An atomic particle that lacks charge
Neutron
29
A relationship between two organisms that helps one or both of the organisms
Symbiosis
30
A region of the world defined by its climate and the types of plants and animals that live there
Biome
31
Where an earthquake is felt most strongly or has its greatest intensity
Epicenter
32
A vascular tissue that conducts water and minerals through a plant
Xylem
33
An individual organism's response to a change in the ecosystem
Accommodation
34
A chemical compound that:
1. turns blue litmus paper red
2. has a pH of less than 7
3. tastes sour, sharp, or biting
4. when combined with a base can form a salt
Acid
35
A trait or characteristic that helps an organism survive and meet its needs
Adaptation
36
A vertebrate animal that spends part of its life in water and part on land
Amphibian
37
An underground layer of rock, sand, or gravel through which water easily moves
Aquifer
38
The smallest particle of matter that has the properties of that matter
Atom
39
A tool that measures an object's mass
Balance
40
An instrument for measuring air pressure
Barometer
41
The bottom layer of soil, made mostly of solid rock
Bedrock
42
The particular temperature at which a substance changes state from liquid to gas
Boiling Point
43
An adaptation that allows an animal to blend into its surroundings
Camouflage
44
An animal that only eats the meat of other animals
Carnivore
45
The smallest unit of life
Cell
46
A substance made of two or more different elements
Chemical Compound
47
A green pigment that allows a plant cell to use light to make food
Chlorophyll
48
A material through which heat or electricity flows easily
Conductor
49
A path that electricity follows
Circuit
50
A group of stars that forms a pattern or picture
Constellation
51
A reaction in which the nucleus of an atom is split
Fission
52
A living thing that eats other living things for food
Consumer
53
A basic building block of matter
Element
54
The path of food energy in an ecosystem from plants to animals
Food Chain
55
The layer of rock that forms the outer surface of Earth
Crust
56
The ability to do work or cause change; ability to make things move, stretch, or grow
Energy
57
A push or pull that causes an object to move, stop, or change direction
Force
58
Consumer that breaks down the remains and wastes of plants and animals
Decomposer
59
An imaginary line that circles Earth halfway between the North and South Poles
Equator
60
The remains or signs of past life
Fossil
61
A biome that has many trees
Forest
62
A measure of how tightly matter is packed in a given amount of space
Density
63
The movement of rock material from one place to another
Erosion
64
A force that occurs when one object rubs against another object
Friction
65
The process that changes food into a form that the body can use
Digestion
66
All dead; no more left alive on Earth
Extinct
67
A very large group of stars
Galaxy
68
The flow of lava or ash from a volcano
Eruption
69
A plant-like organism that breaks down dead or dying plants
Fungus
70
A measure of the number and variety of species in an ecosystem
Diversity
71
A break or crack in Earth's crust where two plates come together
Fault
72
A form of matter that has no definite shape or volume
Gas
73
An area in which living things interact with one another and with nonliving things
Ecosystem
74
Solid waste produced by the body during digestion
Feces
75
A mineral valued for its beauty
Gem
76
An animal that hunts other animals for food
Predator
77
To turn on an axis
Rotation
78
A tool that makes distant objects appear larger, brighter, and sharper
Telescope
79
The speed and direction of a moving object
Velocity
80
A layer of soil that is always frozen
Permafrost
81
The lowest point of a wave
Trough
82
A living thing that feeds on dead organisms
Scavenger
83
A unit of measurement of the strength of a power source
Volt
84
An ecosystem where it rains a lot
Rain Forest
85
An undeveloped plant with stored food in a protective covering
Seed
86
Narrow belt of high-speed winds in the upper troposphere
Jet Stream
87
An animal that eats only plants
Herbivore
88
A physical combination of two or more substances
Mixture
89
The broadest group into which organisms are classified
Kingdom
90
A suggested statement or explanation that can be tested to answer a question
Hypothesis
91
An object that can attract iron and produce a magnetic field
Magnet
92
A meteor that hits the Earth
Meteorite
93
The thick layer of Earth beneath the crust; Magma is created in this layer
Mantle
94
A measure of how far a place is north or south of the equator
Latitude
95
A large mass of slow-moving ice
Glacier
96
1. The center of an atom containing protons and neutrons
2. The central part of a cell that directs the cell's activities and stores information to pass on to new cells
3. A mass of dust and frozen water and gases at the center of a comet
Nucleus
97
A measure of the amount of matter in an object
Mass
98
An object that refracts light
Lens
99
The place where a plant or animal lives
Habitat
100
A form of energy that can travel in waves through empty space
Light
101
Landform that can be the result of a volcanic eruption at a hot spot
Island
102
Rock made from any other rock that has been changed by pressure, heat, very hot water, or a combination of these factors
Metamorphic
103
The form of energy related to the random motion of the atoms and molecules that make up matter
Heat
104
A living thing
Organism
105
A tool that makes small objects appear larger
Microscope
106
Something that changes stored energy into motion and heat
Machine
107
The fifth planet from the sun and the largest planet in the solar system
Jupiter
108
The amount of water vapor in the air at any given time
Humidity
109
A measure of the pull of gravity on an object
Weight
110
A group of organisms of the same species living together in an ecosystem
Population
111
An endless process in which rocks are changed from one type to another by weathering, erosion, heat, and pressure
Rock Cycle
112
The part of a magnet where the magnetic force is strongest
Pole
113
A unit of measure that tells how much electrical power is used
Watt
114
A huge sea wave produced by an earthquake, a landslide, or a volcanic eruption on the ocean floor
Tsunami
115
Type of rock formed when melted rock hardens
Igneous
116
Heat energy produced from within Earth's crust
Geothermal
117
Active during the night
Nocturnal
118
Another name for a saltwater environment
Marine
119
Molten rock that reaches Earth's surface
Lava
120
A type of animal that has three main body parts and six legs
Insect
121
The pulling force between two objects
Gravity
122
An animal that eats both plants and animals
Omnivores
123
Anything that has mass and takes up space
Matter
124
A tool that records the strength of energy waves in an earthquake
Seismograph
125
Earth's coldest biome, with ground whose lower layers stay frozen all year long
Tundra
126
A type of cloud that forms low in the atmosphere, possibly leading to light precipitation
Stratus
127
A natural or artificial pond or lake used to collect and store fresh water
Reservoir
128
The theory that Earth's crust is divided into plates that are always moving
Plate Tectonics
129
An area of land that is drained by a series of creeks and rivers
Water Shed
130
To move from one place to another
Migrate
131
The molten rock beneath Earth's surface
Magma
132
A device that converts other forms of energy into electricity
Generator
133
A vertebrate animal with hair that feeds its young milk
Mammal
134
The sudden movement of loose rock and soil down a steep slope
Landslide
135
An opening in Earth's crust through which melted rock, hot gases, rock fragments, and ash reach the surface
Volcano
136
The average motion energy of particles in matter, a measure of hot or cold
Temperature
137
An object that orbits another object in space
Satellite
138
An organism that makes its own food
Producer
139
An organism that lives on or in another organism, helping itself but hurting the other organism
Parasite
140
The process by which plants transform energy from sunlight into chemical energy
Photosynthesis
141
To make more organisms of their own kind
Reproduce
142
A large body in space that moves around a star
Planet
143
Everything that exists, including stars, planets, and energy
Universe
144
To move around another object in a circular way
Revolution
145
The addition of harmful materials to the environment
Pollution
146
The result of a force causing an object to move in the direction the force is applied
Work
147
The process by which rock material is broken into smaller pieces
Weathering
148
A common rock-forming mineral with large crystals that can be different colors
Quartz
149
A type of rock that forms when sediments are pressed together in layers
Sedimentary
150
A feature such as a body part or a behavior
Trait
151
The repeated movement of water through the environment in different forms; also called the hydrologic cycle
Water Cycle
