Science STAAR Vocab

Question 1

electrical energy

Answer 1

Energy caused by the movement of electric charges.

Question 2

conductor

Answer 2

A material that transfers energy easily.

Question 3

insulator

Answer 3

A material that reduces or prevents the transfer of energy.

Question 4

density

Answer 4

The amount of matter in an object compared to the space it takes up.

Question 5

solubility

Answer 5

How much of a substance will dissolve in a given amount of a different substance.

Question 6

volume

Answer 6

The amount of space an object takes up.

Question 7

mixture

Answer 7

A combination of two or more different substances in which the substances keep their identities.

Question 8

physical property

Answer 8

Anything you can observe about an object by using one or more of your senses.

Question 9

solution

Answer 9

A mixture that has the same composition throughout because all its parts are mixed evenly.

Question 10

dissolve

Answer 10

To completely mix two substances.

Question 11

conservation of matter

Answer 11

A science concept that states that matter cannot be made or destroyed, however it can change into a new form.

Question 12

force

Answer 12

A push or a pull, which may cause a change in an object’s motion.

Question 13

motion

Answer 13

A change of position of an object.

Question 14

balanced forces

Answer 14

Forces that cancel each other out because they are equal in size and opposite in direction.

Question 15

unbalanced forces

Answer 15

Forces that cause a change in an object’s motion because they don’t cancel each other out.

Question 16

energy transfer

Answer 16

The movement of energy from place to place or from one object to another.

Question 17

energy transformation

Answer 17

A change in energy from one form to another.

Question 18

chemical energy

Answer 18

Energy that is stored in matter and that can be released by a chemical reaction.

Question 19

electric current

Answer 19

The flow of electrically charged particles.

Question 20

electrical circuit

Answer 20

The path an electric current follows.

Question 21

light

Answer 21

Energy that lets you see.

Question 22

absorb

Answer 22

To be taken in by an object.

Question 23

reflect

Answer 23

To bounce off an object.

Question 24

refract

Answer 24

To bend light as it moves from one material to another.

Question 25

shadow

Answer 25

A dark place made when an object blocks light.

Question 26

axis

Answer 26

The imaginary line around which Earth rotates. It runs through Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole.

Question 27

atmosphere

Answer 27

The mixture of gases that surround a planet.

Question 28

water cycle

Answer 28

The process in which water continuously moves from Earth's surface into the atmosphere and back again.

Question 29

evaporation

Answer 29

The process by which a liquid changes into a gas.

Question 30

condensation

Answer 30

The process by which a gas changes into a liquid.

Question 31

precipitation

Answer 31

Water that falls from the air to Earth's surface.

Question 32

weather

Answer 32

What is happening in the atmosphere at a certain place and time.

Question 33

sediment

Answer 33

Very small pieces of rock, sand, and silt carried by water.

Question 34

sedimentary rock

Answer 34

A type of rock that forms when layers of sediment are pressed together.

Question 35

fossil fuel

Answer 35

An energy-rich resource formed from the buried remains of once-living organisms.

Question 36

landform

Answer 36

A natural feature found on Earth's surface.

Question 37

delta

Answer 37

A fan-shaped mass of material deposited at the mouth of a stream.

Question 38

canyon

Answer 38

A deep valley with very steep sides.

Question 39

sand dune

Answer 39

A mound of sand formed by the wind.

Question 40

recycle

Answer 40

To use the materials in old things to make new things.

Question 41

conserve

Answer 41

To preserve and protect an ecosystem or a resource.

Question 42

biotic

Answer 42

A living thing, such as a plant, an animal, a fungus, or a bacterium.

Question 43

abiotic

Answer 43

Describes the nonliving part of the environment, including water, rocks, light, and temperature.

Question 44

habitat

Answer 44

A place where an organism lives and can find everything it needs to survive.

Question 45

decomposer

Answer 45

A living thing that gets energy by breaking down dead organisms and animal wastes into simpler substances.

Question 46

producer

Answer 46

A living thing, such as a plant, that can make its own food.

Question 47

food web

Answer 47

A group of food chains that overlap.

Question 48

ecosystem

Answer 48

A community of organisms and the environment in which they live.

Question 49

consumer

Answer 49

A living thing that cannot make its own food and must eat other living things.

Question 50

adaptation

Answer 50

A trait or characteristic that helps an organism survive.

Question 51

structure

Answer 51

Parts of organisms that have specific functions.