1. density The amount of mass in a certain volume of matter

2. reflection The bouncing of light rays off the surface of a material

3. refraction The bending of light as it passes from one material to another.

4. hydrosphere All the water sitting on top of the lithosphere

5. atmosphere The blanket of gases that surround a planet

6. mineral A natural, non-living solid with a definite chemical structure

7. sediment Solid particles from weathered rocks carried from one place and deposited in another.

8. metamorphic rock Rock formed when heat, pressure, or chemical reactions change one type of rock into another type of rock

9. colliding boundary The area where 2 tectonic plates push against each other. Form high mountains, deep ocean trenches, earthquakes and volcanoes

10. fracture boundary The place where tectonic plates slide past each other. This causes major earthquakes, like in California

11. spreading boundary Tectonic plates move away from each other causing gaps between the plates. Seafloor spreading

12. chemical change The changing of a substance into a completely new substance with different chemical properties

13. mixture A combination of substances in which the atoms of the substances are not chemically combined. Mixtures can be easily separated into the original substances.

14. conduction Heat transfer between two objects that touch

15. convection The transfer of thermal energy by the movement of a liquid or a gas

16. radiation The transfer of energy in the form of waves. This is how energy reaches Earth from the Sun

17. kinetic energy The energy of a moving object

18. potential energy The energy an object has due to its position. Affected by distance (height above ground)

19. Noble gases Located at the far right of the periodic table. Have a complete outer shell of electrons. Helium, neon, argon, krypton, Xenon, and radon are all noble gases.

20. Sexual reproduction Reproduction by 2 parent cells

21. Punnett squares A diagram to show the possible offspring from sexual reprocuction

22. dominant The version of a gene that will mask (hide) the effect of another of a gene Only one dominant gene is needed for that trait to show.

23. recessive The trait or gene which is hidden. You must have 2 recessive genes for a recessive trait to show in an offspring.

24. weather The condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place

25. weathering The process of breaking down rock into smaller pieces

26. sperm cell Sex cell of a male parent

27. asexual reproduction production of offspring by one parent

28. Rock formed from layers of sediment that have been cemented together sedimentary rock

29. sediment Solid particles carried from one place and dropped onto another place

30. rock A solid, natural material made up of one or more minerals

31. nonrenewable resource Resource that cannot be replaced as fast as they are used

32. renewable resource Resource that can be replaced through natural processes almost as fast as they are used

33. physical change The change in the appearance of a substance while its properties stay the same

34. fault Crack in the earth’s crust along which rock layers move

35. Theory of continental drift The continents have moved over time

36. Tectonic plates A large section of the earth’s surface made up of the crust and the upper mantle. 20 plates constantly moving causing mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes.

37. O Chemical symbol for oxygen

38. Si Chemical symbol for silicon

39. H Chemical symbol for hydrogen

40. N Chemical symbol for nitrogen

41. Fe Chemical symbol for iron

42. compound A substance formed when atoms of two or more different elements join together.

43. element One of the 109 basic substances of matter.

44. precipitation Rain, snow, sleet, or freezing rain

45. high pressure An area of air pressure greater than the surrounding air pressure.

46. Low pressure An area of air pressure less than the surrounding air pressure.

47. front A boundary between a warm and cold air mass.

48. Water cycle Circular pathway in which water moves through the environment

49. energy Ability to do work

50. mitosis The process in which a cell’s nucleus divides All asexual reproduction All cells following meiosis

51. meiosis The process of cell division by which sex cells are produced

52. mass The amount of matter in an object

53. lithosphere The Earth’s crust and the solid part of the mantle

54. Igneous rock Rock formed by lava that has cooled and hardened

55. humidity The amount of water vapor in the air

56. gene Sections of DNA that control the substances the cell makes and when it makes them

57. erosion The process by which soil and sediments are transferred from one location to another, usually by wind, water, ice, or gravity

58. Fossil fuels Energy sources made from the remains of organisms Stored energy from the Sun

59. Egg cell Sex cell of the female parent

60. DNA A material in a cell’s nucleus that stores coded information about how an organism will grow

61. crystal A regular, repeating pattern in which particles of minerals are arranged

62. climate A pattern of weather that occurs in an area over a long period of time

63. Air mass A very large body of air that has a similar temperature and humidity throughout

64. Inner Core The layer of the Earth made of solid metal

65. Outer Core The layer of the Earth made of liquid metal

66. mantle The layer beneath the crust of the Earth, made of molten or melted rock called magma

67. crust The hard, rocky outer most layer of the Earth