Science Terms

adaptation

a characteristic of an organism that increases
its chance of survival in its environment.

organism

an individual animal, plant, or single-celled
life form.

atmosphere

the layers of gas that surround Earth, other
planets, or stars

atom

the smallest unit of a chemical element that can still
hold the properties of that element and cannot be broken down chemically.

axis

the imaginary line on which an object rotates (e.g., Earth’s axis runs through Earth between the North Pole and the South Pole).

carnivore

an animal or plant that consumes (eats) or obtains nutrients from animals

change of state (matter)

a physical change that occurs when matter changes to another state (i.e., liquid, gas, or solid)

chemical change

a reaction or a change in a substance (thing) produced by chemical means, that results in producing a different chemical.

community

all the populations of organisms belonging to different species and sharing the same geographical area.

omnivore

An omnivore is a consumer/organism that eats both plants and animals for their main food.

compound

a substance made up of a combination of two or more elements held together by chemical bonds that cannot be separated by physical means.

condensation

the process of changing from a gas (i.e., water vapor) to a liquid (i.e., dew); the act of making more dense or compact

herbivore

an animal that feeds on plants.

conservation

controlled use and/or maintenance of natural resources; various efforts to preserve or protect natural resources

constellation

a star pattern identified and named as a definite group; usually thought of as forming certain shapes or figures in a specific region of the sky

consumer

an organism that feeds on other organisms for food

hypothesis

​A hypothesis is a concept or idea that you test through research and experiments. In other words, it is a prediction that is can be tested by research.