4th Grade Science

Which word means a conclusion based on evidence about events that have already occurred?

inference

Which word means a forecast about what may happen in some future situation?

Scientific prediction

Which word means a fair test driven by a hypothesis?

Experiment

What word means something that is deliberately changed in an experiment?

Independent variable

Which word describes variables that will change as a result of doing an experiment?

Dependent variable

Which word means an educated guess about what will happen in an experiment?

Hypothesis

Which word means something that is not allowed to change in an experiment?

Constant

This defines what is to be investigated in an experiment and is often written as a question.

Purpose

What are the step by step directions to follow in order to conduct an experiment?

Procedure

What is the list of items used in an experiment called?

Materials

What is the summary that supports or contradicts a hypothesis?

Conclusion

What is a graph, chart, or table used to display results called?

Data

What is called when you read, get advice, or make observations about a project?

Research

Which word means the ability to do work?

Energy

Which word means the result of a force moving an object through a distance?

Work

Which type of energy is moving energy?

Kinetic energy

Which type of energy is stored in an object?

Potential energy

What are three common forms of energy?

Electrical, mechanical, chemical

Which word means any combination of two or more simple machines?

Compound machines

Which machines are made of many compound machines?

Complex machines

How do machines make work easier and more efficient?

By changing the direction of or increasing the effect of a force

Which word describes the relationship of energy expended to work accomplished?

efficiency

Which word means the resistance to motion created by two objects moving against each other?

Friction

What does friction create?

Heat

Unless acted on by a force, objects in motion ______ and objects at rest _______.

Stay in motion; stay at rest.

What are negative charges called?

Electrons

What does a continuous flow of electrons create?

Electric current

What is the path taken by an electric current called?

Circuit

Which circuits allow the movement of electrical energy?

Closed circuits

Which circuits prevent the movement of electrical energy?

Open circuits

What are two units of measure used to describe electricity?

Hertz and amps

What type of voltage do common dry cell batteries generally have?

Low voltage

Which word describes materials that electrical energy moves through?

Conductors

What materials do not conduct electricity well?

Insulators

In which circuit is there only one pathway for the current?

Series circuit

In which circuit is there two or more pathways for the current?

Parallel circuit

Which word means the discharge of static electricity in the atmosphere?

Lightning

Which part of the plant anchors it and takes water and nutrients from the soil?

Roots

Which part of the plant provides support and allows movement of water nutrients?

Stem

What are the two general groups that the plant kingdom can be divided into?

Those that reproduce with seeds and those that reproduce with spores

What are the reproductive parts of the flower?

Stamen and pistil

What are the small leaves that form the housing of the developing flower?

Sepals

What is the process by which pollen is transferred from the stamen to the pistil called?

Pollination

What are two plants that reproduce with spores?

Ferns and mosses

What is the process in which green plants produce their own food called?

Photosynthesis

What do green plants use along with carbon dioxide, water, nutrients, and sunlight to produce food?

Chlorophyll

What is the primary food producing part of green plants?

Leaves

What word describes a period of suspended life processes brought on by changes in the environment?

Dormancy

What are the physical attributes that help organisms meet a life need called?

Structural adaptations

What are the types of activities organisms perform to meet a life need called?

Behavioral adaptations

Which word describes all of the populations that live together in the same place?

Community

What is the organization of communities based on in a given ecosystem?

Utilization of energy

Which word describes green plants which make their own food from sunlight, air, and water?

Producers

What are animals referred to as because they eat food?

Consumers

Where is the greatest amount of energy in a community found?

Producers

What are organisms called that break down decayed plants and animals into smaller pieces that can be used again by living things?

Decomposers

Which word means the function that an organism performs in the food web of the community?

Niche

Who can have a major impact on the ecosystem?

Humans

Which word means the measure of the amount of heat energy in the atmosphere?

Temperature

What is the amount of moisture in the atmosphere called?

Humidity

What is air pressure due to?

Weight of the air

What can determine air pressure?

Temperature of air

What is the boundary between air masses of different temperature and humidity called?

Front

Which type of clouds are tall and vertical and are often called thunderheads?

Cumulonimbus

Which type of clouds are white and fluffy and are seen on nice days?

Cumulus

Which type of clouds are low hanging in layers that look like a gray haze in the sky? They can become fog.

Stratus

Which clouds are dark and normally seen when rain or snow is happening all day long?

Nimbostratus

What is a scientist that studies the weather called?

Meteorologist

Which tool is used to measure air pressure?

Barometer

Which tool is used to measure moisture in the air?

Hygrometer

Which tool measures wind speed?

Anemometer

Which tool measures precipitation?

Rain gauge

Which tool measures air temperature?

Thermometer

Which word means the travel within an orbit?

Revolution

How often does the Earth make one revolution around the sun?

Once every 365 days

How often does the moon revolve around the Earth?

Once every 28 days

When does a lunar eclipse occur?

When moon moves into Earth’s shadow

When does a solar eclipse occur?

When moon moves between sun and Earth

What causes seasons?

Axial tilt of the Earth during revolution around the sun

What causes phases of the moon to occur?

Moon’s position in relation to Earth and sun

What are the phases of the moon?

New, crescent, quarter, gibbous, full

The sun is an averaged-sized star The sun is an averaged-sized star. How many times bigger is its diameter than the Earth’s?

110

How many planets are in our solar system?

9

What number planet is the Earth from the sun?

3

What makes Earth different from other planets?

Large amounts of water and oxygen

Which two scientists believed the Earth was the center of the solar system?

Aristotle and Ptolemy

Which two scientists believed that the sun is in the center of our solar system which is what we believe today?

Galileo and Copernicus

Which space craft’s missions added a great deal to our understanding of the moon?

NASA Apollo

What are some of Virginia’s natural resources?

Forests, arable land, coal, sand, wildlife, clean water and air

Which word means an area over which surface water and materials it carries flows to a single collection place?

Watershed

Which watershed covers about half of Virginia’s land area?

Chesapeake Bay watershed

What watershed is land drained by rivers west of Roanoke part of?

Mississippi watershed

What are some of Virginia’s water resources?

Groundwater, rivers, bays, lakes, reservoirs, Atlantic Ocean

What are three things Virginia’s soil and land support?

Space for economic activities, great variety of life, variety of recreational opportunities