GENERAL SCIENCE

• Science


  A knowledge or system covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method
• Scientific Method


  1. Observe natural phenomena and identify the problem

  2. Collect data

  3. Formulate hypothesis

  4. Test hypothesis (conduct an experiment)

  5. Analyze and interpret data from the experiment

  6. Form a conclusion

  7. Communicate results
• Hypothesis


  An assumption or idea that is validated and tested through an experiment
• Independent Variable (IV)


  A variable that is manipulated or changed to have an effect on the dependent variable
• Dependent Variable (DV)


  What you measure in the experiment and what is affected by the independent variables
• Scientific Law


  A statement based on repeated experimental observation that describes some aspect of the world
• Scientific Theory


  A tested and widely accepted model that helps explain and predict natural facts and which is based on observations, experiments and reason
• Model


  Aids in the visualization of occurrences and objects that cannot be observed directly
• International System of Units (SI) base quantities and units


  • Mass (kilogram, kg)
  • Length (meter, m)
  • Time (second, s)
  • Amount of Substance (mole, mol)
  • Temperature (Kelvin, K)
  • Electric current (Ampere, A)
  • Luminous intensity (candela, cd)
• Lithosphere


  The solid, outer part of the Earth
• Hydrosphere


  The total amount of water on a planet, including water on the surface, underground, and in the air
• Atmosphere


  A layer or set of layers of gases surrounding a planet or other material body that is held in place by the gravity of that body
• Biosphere


  The part of the world in which life can exist
• Igneous rocks


  Formed from the cooling of magma (a very hot liquid found underneath the Earth's surface)
• Igneous rocks


  • Rhyolite, Granite, Basalt
• Sedimentary rocks


  Formed from pre-existing rocks or pieces of once-living organisms
• Sedimentary rocks


  • Limestone, conglomerate, dolomite, shale
• Metamorphic rocks


  Formed through the alteration of pre-existing rocks in response to changing environmental conditions, such as variations in temperature, pressure, and mechanical stress, and the addition or subtraction of chemical components
• Metamorphic rocks


  • Marble (from limestone), slate (from shale)
• Weathering


  The breakdown of rocks at the Earth's surface, by the action of rainwater, extremes of temperature, and biological activity
• Erosion


  The geological process in which earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind or water
• Lithification


  The process or processes by which unconsolidated materials are converted into coherent solid rock, as by compaction or cementation
• Meteorology


  The study of the processes and phenomena of the atmosphere, especially as a means of forecasting the weather
• Weather


  The state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.
• Climate


  The long-term (min 30 years) and average weather conditions for a specific region
• Gases found in the Earth's atmosphere


  • Nitrogen (78%)
  • Oxygen (21%)
• Nitrogen in the atmosphere


  Reacts with chemicals to produce nitrates, which are used by living things in protein manufacturing, and is returned to the atmosphere by the process of decay
• Oxygen in the atmosphere

  Used for respiration and combustion processes
• Troposphere


  The layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface, extending up to about 10-15 km above the Earth's surface, containing 75% of the atmosphere's mass
• Stratosphere


  The layer that lies directly above the troposphere, about 35 km deep, extending from about 15 to 50 km above the Earth's surface, with warmer temperatures at the top than the bottom
• Mesosphere


  The layer directly above the stratosphere, extending from 50 to 80 km above the Earth's surface, where the temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude
• Thermosphere


  The layer that extends from 80 km above the Earth's surface to outer space, with very high temperatures due to the large amounts of energy received from the Sun
• Exosphere


  The most external layer of the atmosphere, the least known, with temperatures exceeding 2000°C
• Ecology


  A branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms
• Ecological (or environmental) factors


  • Biotic (all living factors in the environment)
  • Abiotic (nonliving factors that are essential to living organisms)
• Population


  The number of organisms of the same species that live in a particular geographic area at the same time, with the capability of interbreeding
• Community


  An ecological unit composed of a group of organisms or a population of different species occupying a particular area, usually interacting with each other and their environment
• Ecosystem


  A system that includes all living organisms (biotic factors) in an area as well as its physical environment (abiotic factors) functioning together as a unit
• Biome


  An area of the planet that can be classified according to the plants and animals that live in it
• Nebular theory


  Describes the formation of our solar system from a nebula cloud made from a collection of dust and gas, with the sun, planets, moons, and asteroids formed around the same time around 4.5 billion years ago