Science Vocabulary
Below you will find important science vocabulary words to help you build you knowledge!
Experimental Design Vocabulary Words
1. Scientific Method: A series of steps used by scientist to solve a problem or answer a question.
2. Hypothesis: A possible explanation to the question or problem.
3. Control Variable: The variable that always stays the same
4. Independent Variable: The variable that is deliberately changed by the scientist.
5. Dependent Variable: Data is collected during the investigation by being observed or measured.
6. Observation: The process of gathering information about events or processes in a careful way.
7. Qualitative Data: Type of data collected by observation and using the five senses.
8. Quantitative Data: Type of data collected by numerical measurements.
2. Hypothesis: A possible explanation to the question or problem.
3. Control Variable: The variable that always stays the same
4. Independent Variable: The variable that is deliberately changed by the scientist.
5. Dependent Variable: Data is collected during the investigation by being observed or measured.
6. Observation: The process of gathering information about events or processes in a careful way.
7. Qualitative Data: Type of data collected by observation and using the five senses.
8. Quantitative Data: Type of data collected by numerical measurements.
Ecology Vocabulary Words
1. Ecology: The study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their
environment.
2. Ecosystem: A community of organisms and their abiotic, or nonliving, environment.
3. Abiotic Factor: An environmental factor that is not living or never will live.
4. Biotic Factor: An environmental factor that is living or once living.
5. Consumer: An organism that eats other organisms.
6. Producer: An organism that can make its own food by using energy from its surroundings.
7. Decomposer: An organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organisms or
animal wastes and consuming or absorbing the nutrients.
8. Biome: A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and
animal communities.
9. Predator: An organism that kills and eats all or part of another organism.
10. Prey: An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism.
11. Herbivore: An organism that eats only producers.
12. Omnivore: An organism that eats both plants and animals.
13. Carnivore: An organism that eats only animals.
Biomes
1. Grassland: A biome that is an area where grass the main plant life with few trees.
2. Marine: A biome that covers seventy percent of the Earth's surface with saltwater.
3. Deciduous Forest: A biome that consists of four distinct seasons where trees lose their leaves every
fall.
4. Rain Forest: A biome is a forest located near the equator with a warm, humid, wet climate.
5. Desert: A biome that can be hot and sandy, but very cold at night.
6. Freshwater: A biome that includes ponds, lakes, streams, rivers and wetlands.
7. Tundra: A biome that is the coldest of the biomes and located at the North Pole and Arctic Circle.
8. Taiga: A biome that is found in areas between the tundra and deciduous forest mainly across
Canada.
Symbiosis
1. Symbiosis: A close long-term relationship between different species in a community.
2. Mutualism: A symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit.
3. Commensalism: A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits while the other is
unaffected.
3. Parasitism: A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and another is harmed.
Photosynthesis
1. Photosynthesis: Plants use energy from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make sugar (glucose)
2. Chloroplast: Organelles found in plants where photosynthesis takes place (leaves)
3. Chlorophyll: Green pigment found in chloroplasts
4. Stomata: Openings located on the underside of leaves where carbon dioxide is taken in and oxygen is
released
5. Photosynthesis Equation: 6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy ---> C6H12O6 + 6O2
6. CO2: Carbon Dioxide
7. H2O: Water
8. C6H12O6: Glucose
9. O2: Oxygen
1. Ecology: The study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their
environment.
2. Ecosystem: A community of organisms and their abiotic, or nonliving, environment.
3. Abiotic Factor: An environmental factor that is not living or never will live.
4. Biotic Factor: An environmental factor that is living or once living.
5. Consumer: An organism that eats other organisms.
6. Producer: An organism that can make its own food by using energy from its surroundings.
7. Decomposer: An organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organisms or
animal wastes and consuming or absorbing the nutrients.
8. Biome: A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and
animal communities.
9. Predator: An organism that kills and eats all or part of another organism.
10. Prey: An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism.
11. Herbivore: An organism that eats only producers.
12. Omnivore: An organism that eats both plants and animals.
13. Carnivore: An organism that eats only animals.
Biomes
1. Grassland: A biome that is an area where grass the main plant life with few trees.
2. Marine: A biome that covers seventy percent of the Earth's surface with saltwater.
3. Deciduous Forest: A biome that consists of four distinct seasons where trees lose their leaves every
fall.
4. Rain Forest: A biome is a forest located near the equator with a warm, humid, wet climate.
5. Desert: A biome that can be hot and sandy, but very cold at night.
6. Freshwater: A biome that includes ponds, lakes, streams, rivers and wetlands.
7. Tundra: A biome that is the coldest of the biomes and located at the North Pole and Arctic Circle.
8. Taiga: A biome that is found in areas between the tundra and deciduous forest mainly across
Canada.
Symbiosis
1. Symbiosis: A close long-term relationship between different species in a community.
2. Mutualism: A symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit.
3. Commensalism: A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits while the other is
unaffected.
3. Parasitism: A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and another is harmed.
Photosynthesis
1. Photosynthesis: Plants use energy from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make sugar (glucose)
2. Chloroplast: Organelles found in plants where photosynthesis takes place (leaves)
3. Chlorophyll: Green pigment found in chloroplasts
4. Stomata: Openings located on the underside of leaves where carbon dioxide is taken in and oxygen is
released
5. Photosynthesis Equation: 6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy ---> C6H12O6 + 6O2
6. CO2: Carbon Dioxide
7. H2O: Water
8. C6H12O6: Glucose
9. O2: Oxygen
Energy and Matter
1. Energy: The ability to cause change
2. Kinetic Energy: The energy of motion
3. Potential Energy: The stored energy that an object has due to its position or chemical composition
4. Gravitational Potential Energy: The stored energy of an object above Earth's surface
5. Chemical Potential Energy: Energy stored in food
6. Mass: The amount of matter inside an object
7. Mechanical Energy: The combination of both kinetic and potential energy
8. Law of Conservation of Energy: Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. It can only be transformed
Simple Machines
1. Machine: A device with which you can do work in a way that is easier or more effective.
2. Compound Machine: A machine that utilizes two or more simple machines.
2. Inclined Plane: A flat, slanted surface.
3. Wedge: A device that is thick at one end and tapers to a thin edge at the other end.
4. Screw: An inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder.
5. Lever: A rigid bar that is free to pivot, or rotate, about a fixed point.
6. Wheel and Axle: Two circular or cylindrical objects that are fastened together and that rotate about a common axis.
7. Pulley: A grooved wheel with a rope (or chain, or even a steel cable) wrapped around it.
Matter:
1. Matter: Anything that has mass and takes up space
2. Mass: The amount of matter in an object
3. Volume: The amount of space that an object takes up or occupies
4. Solid: A substance that has a definite volume and definite shape
5. Liquid: A substance that has a definite volume but not a definite shape
6. Gas: A substance that does not a definite volume or shape
7. Melting: The change of state in which a solid becomes a liquid by adding energy
8. Freezing: The change of state in which a liquid becomes a solid as energy is removed
9. Evaporation: The change of state from a liquid to a gas as energy is added
10. Boiling: The conversion of a liquid to gas as energy is added
11. Condensation: The change of state from a gas to a liquid as energy is removed
1. Energy: The ability to cause change
2. Kinetic Energy: The energy of motion
3. Potential Energy: The stored energy that an object has due to its position or chemical composition
4. Gravitational Potential Energy: The stored energy of an object above Earth's surface
5. Chemical Potential Energy: Energy stored in food
6. Mass: The amount of matter inside an object
7. Mechanical Energy: The combination of both kinetic and potential energy
8. Law of Conservation of Energy: Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. It can only be transformed
Simple Machines
1. Machine: A device with which you can do work in a way that is easier or more effective.
2. Compound Machine: A machine that utilizes two or more simple machines.
2. Inclined Plane: A flat, slanted surface.
3. Wedge: A device that is thick at one end and tapers to a thin edge at the other end.
4. Screw: An inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder.
5. Lever: A rigid bar that is free to pivot, or rotate, about a fixed point.
6. Wheel and Axle: Two circular or cylindrical objects that are fastened together and that rotate about a common axis.
7. Pulley: A grooved wheel with a rope (or chain, or even a steel cable) wrapped around it.
Matter:
1. Matter: Anything that has mass and takes up space
2. Mass: The amount of matter in an object
3. Volume: The amount of space that an object takes up or occupies
4. Solid: A substance that has a definite volume and definite shape
5. Liquid: A substance that has a definite volume but not a definite shape
6. Gas: A substance that does not a definite volume or shape
7. Melting: The change of state in which a solid becomes a liquid by adding energy
8. Freezing: The change of state in which a liquid becomes a solid as energy is removed
9. Evaporation: The change of state from a liquid to a gas as energy is added
10. Boiling: The conversion of a liquid to gas as energy is added
11. Condensation: The change of state from a gas to a liquid as energy is removed
Earth In Space
1. Axis: Earth's imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole on which the Earth spins
2. Rotation: The spin of a body on its axis
3. Revolution: The motion of a body that travels around another body in space: one complete trip along an orbit
4. Season: A division of the year that is characterized by recurring weather conditions, and determined by both Earth's tilt relative to the sun and Earth's position in its orbit around the sun
5. Solstice: The point at which the sun is as far north or as far south of the equator as possible; maximum sunlight on one hemisphere
6. Equinox: Equal sun on both hemispheres
7. Eclipse: An event during which one object in space casts a shadow onto another
8. Lunar Eclipse: Occurs when the moon moves through Earth's shadow
9. Solar Eclipse: When the moon is directly between the Sun and Earth
10. Umbra: The darkest part of a shadow
11. Penumbra: A spreading cone of a lighter shadow
1. Axis: Earth's imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole on which the Earth spins
2. Rotation: The spin of a body on its axis
3. Revolution: The motion of a body that travels around another body in space: one complete trip along an orbit
4. Season: A division of the year that is characterized by recurring weather conditions, and determined by both Earth's tilt relative to the sun and Earth's position in its orbit around the sun
5. Solstice: The point at which the sun is as far north or as far south of the equator as possible; maximum sunlight on one hemisphere
6. Equinox: Equal sun on both hemispheres
7. Eclipse: An event during which one object in space casts a shadow onto another
8. Lunar Eclipse: Occurs when the moon moves through Earth's shadow
9. Solar Eclipse: When the moon is directly between the Sun and Earth
10. Umbra: The darkest part of a shadow
11. Penumbra: A spreading cone of a lighter shadow
Solar System
1. Gravity: A force of attraction between objects that is due to their masses and the distances between them.
2. Orbit: The path that a body follows as it travels around another body in space.
3. Terrestrial Planets: The four small, dense, rocky planets that orbit closest to the sun.
4. Astronomical Unit: Equals the average distance between the sun and Earth, or approximately 150 million km.
5. Mercury: The planet we know least about with the most extreme temperature range and a large iron core.
6. Venus: A planet similar in size and mass to Earth with crater, volcanoes and an atmosphere that is toxic.
7. Earth: The only planet in the solar system that has the combination of factors needed to support life.
8. Mars: A rocky red planet with volcanoes, valleys, canyons and a thin atmosphere.
9. Gas Giants: Planets that have deep, massive gas atmospheres, which are made up mostly of hydrogen and helium.
10. Jupiter: The largest planet in the solar system with the most moons and huge storms across it's surface.
11. Saturn; The second largest planet with a large ring system.
12. Uranus: The planet that is tilted on its side and with seasons that last 21 years.\
13. Neptune: The most distant planet from the sun with the strongest winds.
14. Comet: A small body of ice, rock and dust that follows a highly elliptical orbit around the sun.
15. Asteroid: A small irregularly shaped, rocky object that orbits the sun and located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
16. Meteoroid: A sand grain to boulder sized, rocky body that travels through space.
17. Meteor: A bright streak of light that results when a meteoroid burns up in Earth's atmosphere.
18. Meteorite: A meteorite that reaches Earth's surface without burning up.
1. Gravity: A force of attraction between objects that is due to their masses and the distances between them.
2. Orbit: The path that a body follows as it travels around another body in space.
3. Terrestrial Planets: The four small, dense, rocky planets that orbit closest to the sun.
4. Astronomical Unit: Equals the average distance between the sun and Earth, or approximately 150 million km.
5. Mercury: The planet we know least about with the most extreme temperature range and a large iron core.
6. Venus: A planet similar in size and mass to Earth with crater, volcanoes and an atmosphere that is toxic.
7. Earth: The only planet in the solar system that has the combination of factors needed to support life.
8. Mars: A rocky red planet with volcanoes, valleys, canyons and a thin atmosphere.
9. Gas Giants: Planets that have deep, massive gas atmospheres, which are made up mostly of hydrogen and helium.
10. Jupiter: The largest planet in the solar system with the most moons and huge storms across it's surface.
11. Saturn; The second largest planet with a large ring system.
12. Uranus: The planet that is tilted on its side and with seasons that last 21 years.\
13. Neptune: The most distant planet from the sun with the strongest winds.
14. Comet: A small body of ice, rock and dust that follows a highly elliptical orbit around the sun.
15. Asteroid: A small irregularly shaped, rocky object that orbits the sun and located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
16. Meteoroid: A sand grain to boulder sized, rocky body that travels through space.
17. Meteor: A bright streak of light that results when a meteoroid burns up in Earth's atmosphere.
18. Meteorite: A meteorite that reaches Earth's surface without burning up.