SCIENCE VOCABULARY

the branches of Science including Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy

Physical Science
and Geometry i.e. the study of nature, energy and non-living matter

the science of matter and energy and the interaction between the
Physics
two

the science of life and of living organisms, including their structure,

Biology
function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution

Botany the science and study of plants

Zoology the study of animals and animal life

the science of the relationships between organisms and their

Ecology
environments

the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in plants

Genetics
and animals

T HE E NVIRONMENT
Oxygen the gas that we need to inhale in order to survive

plants absorb this gas from the atmosphere, and people exhale it
Carbon dioxide
when breathing

a poisonous gas found high in the earth’s atmosphere. This layer

Ozone
protects the earth from the sun’s radiation.

the natural process by which the atmosphere traps some of the

Greenhouse effect
Sun's energy, warming the Earth enough to support life

smog a mixture of fog, smoke and chemical fumes

the observed and projected increases in the average temperature of

Global warming
Earth's atmosphere and oceans

petroleum, coal, or natural gas, derived from living matter of a

fossil fuel
previous geologic time and used for fuel

an energy source, such as oil or natural gas, or a natural resource,

non-renewable
that is not replaceable after it has been used
SCIENCE VOCABULARY
P HYSICS AND C HEMISTRY
gravity the natural force of attraction exerted by the earth

friction the rubbing of one object or surface against another

resistance a force that tends to oppose or slow down motion

acceleration increasing speed

force a push or a pull

tension the act of stretching

compression the act of pressing together

a statement showing the equality of two mathematical expressions, or a

equation
representation of a chemical reaction

a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself

catalyst
being affected

acid something that has a pH below 7.0

alkaline something that has a pH above 7.0

the symbol relating to hydrogen ion (H+) concentration. Below 7.0 is acidic
pH
and above 7.0 is alkaline.
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B IOLOGY
condensation the process when something changes from a gas to a solid

dehydration the process of removing water

DNA a nucleic acid which contains genetic information about the human body

the smallest structural unit of an organism that is capable of independent

cell
functioning

genes the basic biological units of heredity

clone a cell or organism that is a genetically identical copy

a plant or an animal organism that lives in or on another and takes its

parasite
nourishment from that other organism

A NIMALS
vertebrate an animal with a backbone or spinal column

invertebrate an animal without a backbone or spinal column

a warm-blooded vertebrate animals, which have hair on their skin and milk
mammal
producing glands in the female, like humans

a cold-blooded smooth skinned vertebrate, that is capable of living in land

amphibian
and on water, like a frog

an animal with 4 pairs of legs, and a body divided into 2 segments, like
arachnid
spiders and scorpions

reptile a cold-blooded egg-laying vertebrate, like a snake and crocodile

insect a bug, like a fly, bee or ant

carnivore an animal that mainly eats meat

herbivore an animal that mainly eats plants

omnivore an animal that eats meat and plants

predator an animal that attacks and kills other animals for food