| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| symbiosis | a relationship in which two organisms live in close association with others |
| commensalism | a relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed or helped |
| parasitism | a relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed |
| mutualism | a relationship in which both organisms benefit |
| predator | an animal that lives by capturing prey as a means of maintaining life |
| prey | an animal taken by a predator as food |
| food web | a network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem |
| energy pyramid | a diagram that shows the trophic levels of organisms in a food web |
| producer | an organism that is capable of performing photosynthesis to use the Sun's energy directly |
| consumer | an organism that must consume other organisms for nutrients |
| autotroph | an organism that can make its own food |
| heterotroph | an organism that must obtain its energy from an outside source |
| decomposer | organisms such as bacteria and fungi that break down the remains of dead plants and animals |
| biotic factors | living things in the environment, such as plants and animals |
| forces | a push or pull |
| abiotic factors | non-living things in the environment, including soil, water, temperature, light, wind, and minerals |
| parts of the atom | proton, neutron, electron, nucleus, electron shell |
| proton | positively charge particles that arene located in the nucleus of an atom |
| neutron | a subatomic particle that has no charge and is located in the nucleus of an atom |
| electron | a subatomic particle that has a negative charge |
| atomic mass | the total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus |
| AMU | unit of measurement of atomic particles; atomic mass unit = used to indicate mass on an atomic or molecular scale |
| Bohr Models | electrons move in definite orbits around the nucleus (much like the planets around the sun) according to this model. |
| family / group | a vertical column of elements in the periodic table; elements in a group share chemical properties |
| period | In chemistry, a horizontal row of elements in the periodic table |
| valence electrons | an electron that is found on the outermost shell of an atom and that determines the atoms chemical properties |
| metal | an element that is shiny and conducts heat and electricity easily |
| non metal | an element that is a poor conductor of heat and electricity |
| metalloid | an element that has properties of both metals and nonmetals; sometimes referred to as a semiconductor |
| noble gases | elements in family 8A |
| Law of Conservation of Mass | the mass of reactants must equal the mass of all products, mass is neither created nor destroyed (balanced chemical equation) |
| States of Matter | solids (fixed shape and volume), liquids (fixed volume and shaped by the container), and gases (filing the container) |
| Balanced Equations | a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction in which both sides of the equation contain equivalent numbers of atoms of each element. The mass and the charge must be balanced on both sides of the reaction. |
| molecule | a team of atoms; can be the same type of atom |
| subscript | a number written below and to the right of a chemical symbol; shows the number of a specific type of atom present |
| coefficient | a number placed in front of a chemical symbol or formula during balancing of the equation |
| evidence of a chemical | color change; temperature change |
| reaction | resistance or opposition to a force, influence, or movement |
| chemical change | a change in matter that produces one or more new substances (chemical reaction) |
| physical change | any change that alters the form or appearance of a substance but does not change the substance into another substance (i.e., crushing a can, melting ice cube, and breaking a bottle) |
| potential energy | stored energy (example: a rubber band stretched before it is released) |
| kinetic energy | energy of motion (example: rubber band being shot) |
| Newton's 1st Law | The law of inertia: Objects at rest, stay at rest. Objects in motion, stay in motion until an outside force is applied. |
| Newton's 2nd Law | force is determined by the mass and acceleration of an object Force = Mass x Acceleration |
| Newton's 3rd Law | for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction |
| inertia | the tendency of a physical object to remain still or continue moving, unless force is applied |
| velocity | speed in a certain direction |
| speed | distance traveled in time |
| acceleration | change in velocity |
| displacement | space of one mass by another |
| balanced forces | two or more forces whose effects cancel each other out and do not change the motion of an object |
| unbalanced | 2 or more forces acting on an object that do not cancel and cause the object to accelerate |
| work | force exerted on an object that causes it to move |
| motion graph | graph showing a change in position measured by distance and time. |
| speed graph | graph showing steeper line the faster the object travels (by distance and time). |
| position graph | graph showing the position of an object (by distance and time). For example, a horizontal line means the object is not changing its position. A downward sloping line means the object is returning to the start. |
