Science Word of the Day Count down to STAAR

Alternative Energy Alternative energy sources are renewable. What are 5 alternative energy to fossil fuels?

Canyon Canyons, a type of V-shaped valley, are carved out by rivers.

Consumer Consumers are organisms that have to “eat” others or other things to get their energy.

Decomposer A decomposer is a type of consumer that gets its energy from decaying or dead plants or animals.

Deposited (deposition) WED Deposition occurs when sediments are dropped in a new location. Overtime this accumulates.

Delta As rock weathers rivers carry the sediments downstream and deposit them. As the sediments are deposited a delta is formed.

Density Oil is less dense that water; that’s why it floats on top of water. What is more dense than the cherry tomato? How do you know?

Erosion Sediments (or weathered rock) are carried or moved from one place to another by erosion. Wind, water, or ice can cause erosion.

Landforms Landforms change over time by wind, water, and ice.

Magnetism Matter can be classified by the property of magnetism; some objects are magnetic and others are not.

Mixture Mixtures can be separated physically. Some mixtures can be separated by straining or filtering. Other mixtures can be separated by boiling and evaporating water from the mixture.

Producer Producers are organisms that can producer their own energy. Plants are producers; they use the Sun’s energy. All food chains and food webs start with producers.

Reflection Light travels in a straight light and bounces off of shiny objects or surfaces; this is called reflection. You can see your reflection in a mirror because light is reflected off of the mirror.

Refraction Light travels in a straight light until it changes medium, then it bends because it either speeds up or slows down as it passes through the medium.

Retains (retention) Retain = keep. Large gravel doesn’t retain water well. Small particles retains water well. Which type of soil should retain water the best?

Rotation Rotate = spin The Earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours which causes one day and night cycle.

Sedimentary Rock Under high pressure sediments are compacted and cemented together in layers known as sedimentary rock.

Sediment When rock is weathered (broken down) it forms smaller pieces. These small pieces are called sediments and can be transported and deposited in new areas.

Solubility (soluble) Matter can be physically separated by its solubility in water. This means some matter will dissolve in water (soluble) and others will not (insoluble). Salt and sugar are soluble in water. Oil is not.

Solution In some mixtures the parts are evenly distributed. These mixtures are more specifically called solutions. Chocolate chip cookies are mixtures. Why aren’t they solutions? Sand and water is a mixture. Why isn’t it also a solution? Salt and water is a mixture. Why is it also a solution?

Traits Inherited traits are pass from parents to their offspring.

Weathering Weathering = breaking When rock weathers; it is broken down into smaller pieces; eventually these small pieces are called sediments. Wind, water, and ice can weather rock.