Science Terminology for 11-13 Yr Olds --- (Jon Witts)
Note: You may download the entries for this glossary here. If you wish to use this in your own Moodle course, first make a blank glossary and then follow the instructions for importing glossary entries here.
This contains 12 individual glossaries based on the units from UK Year 8 Key Stage 3 Science.[11-13 Yr Olds]
They are:
<><><><><>
- Food and Digestion Glossary
- Respiration Glossary
- Microbes and Disease Glossary
- Ecological Relationships Glossary
- Atoms and Elements Glossary
- Compounds and Mixtures Glossary
- Rocks and Weathering Glossary
- The Rock Cycle Glossary
- Heating and Cooling Glossary
- Magnets and Electromagnets Glossary
- Light Glossary
- Sound and Hearing Glossary
Browse the glossary using this index
Special | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ALL
A |
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Absorbwhen living cells or blood take in food or oxygen
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Absorbslight energy hits a surface and is converted into heat energy
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absorption
what happens when digested food particles pass from the digestive system into the bloodstream.
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Accumulateto build up
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Accumulationthe process of building up or gathering together
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acidichas a pH less than 7, for example stomach acid.
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Adaptationschanges to organisms which allow them to survive or to do their job
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Aerobic respirationglucose from food reacts with oxygen to produce energy
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alkalinehas a pH greater than 7.
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Alveoliair sacs in the lungs where gaseous exchange happens
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Amplitudedetermines how loud or soft a sound is
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amylase enzymeenzyme responsible for the breakdown of starch.
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Anaerobic respirationchemical reactions that release energy without oxygen
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Angle of incidenceangle between the normal and an incident ray
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Angle of reflectionangle between the normal and a reflected ray
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Angle of refractionangle between the normal and a refracted ray
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antibodieschemicals produced by certain white blood cells, help to destroy microbes
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anusthe end point of the digestive system.
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Apparent depthdistance an object appears to be below the surface of a transparent material (due to refraction)
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Arteriesblood vessels that carry blood away from the heart
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Atomsthe smallest bit of something
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Attract
force pulling towards something
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Auditory nervenerve that carries electrical signals from the ear to the brain so we can hear
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B |
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balanced dietrange of nutrients needed to stay healthy.
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Bar magnetsrectangular type of magnet with poles at each end
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Bedlayer of rock; a stratum
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Bedding planethe boundary between one bed and the next
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Bimetallic stripdevice which moves as temperature changes, often part of an electronic heating control system
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bloodfluid responsible for transporting substances from part of the body to another.
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body temperaturemaintained temperature of the body, in humans 37 degrees Celsius.
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Boiling pointthe temperature at which a pure substance changes from a liquid to a gas (or a gas to a liquid)
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Burialwhen sediments are covered over by new sediments or other material
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C |
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Capillariessmall blood vessels with thin walls, which carry blood between the arteries and veins
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carbohydrategroup of energy-producing substances, for example starch and sugars.
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Carnivoreanimals that eat only other animals
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Cathode ray oscilloscopedevice that shows a graph of a sound
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Cementthe material that ‘glues’ rock grains together
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Cementationthe process of ‘gluing’ rock grains together
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Cementedstuck, or glued, together
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Change of statematerial changing state between solid, liquid or gas
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Characteristicsdistinctive features
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Chemical changea change that involves the formation of a new substance
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chemical digestiondigestion of food which involves chemicals called enzymes.
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Chemical propertiesconcerning changes that do involve the formation of a new substance
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Chemical reactionthe process of change from reactants to products
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Chlorinea green non-metallic element that is a poisonous gas
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Cochleacoiled structure in the ear where hairs detect vibrations in fluid
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Communityall the different species of living things in a habitat | ||
Compactedsquashed by forces underground caused by rock movements
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Compactionthe process of squashing rocks
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Compounda pure substance made of two or more kinds of atom that are chemically joined
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Condenseschanges from gas to liquid state
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Conductionmovement of energy through a solid
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Conductormaterial that is good at letting heat energy pass through it
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Consumersanimals, which must eat other living things for food
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Contractsmaterial getting shorter and thinner as it cools
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Convectionliquids or gases moving due to differences in temperature and density
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Convection currentflow of liquids or gases due to convection
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Corneaouter transparent surface of the eye
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cystic fibrosisinherited disease which affects breathing
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D |
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Decayrotting process involving bacteria where nutrients are released from detritus
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Decibelsunit for measuring loudness of sound
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Degrees Celsiuscommon unit for temperature measurement
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Depositionwhen sediments are put down or dropped
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Detrituswaste and dead material
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digestionthe process by which nutrients from food are broken down and absorbed into the body.
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digestive systemthe organs involved in digestion.
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Dispersionsplitting light into a spectrum
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Domainsmall region within a magnetised substance where all the magnetism is in the same direction | |
Double pumpthe right-hand side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs; the left-hand side pumps blood to the rest of the body
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E |
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Eardrummembrane that vibrates when sound reaches it
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Earth’s magnetic fieldmagnetic field around the Earth
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Echosound reflected off a surface
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Ecosystemthe habitat and the community interacting withinit
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egestedwhen undigested waste leaves the body via the anus.
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Electromagnet
magnet formed by electric current passing through a coil around a wire
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Elementsthe simplest substances
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energyability to do work.
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Energy transferenergy moving from one place to another
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Environmental conditionsthe conditions in a habitat which affect what can survive there
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enzymeschemicals found in the digestive system, used to break down large particles into smaller pieces
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Erosionthe combination of weathering and transport
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Evaporateschanges from a liquid to a gas
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Evaporationchange of state from liquid to gas at the surface of the liquid
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Exfoliatesbreaks off in layers
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Exhalebreathing out air from the lungs
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Expandsmaterial getting longer and thicker as it gets warmer
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Expirebreathing out air from the lungs
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F |
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fatsubstance found in food, used as an energy store and part of cell membranes.
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fermentationbreakdown of a substance by bacteria or yeasts, usually without oxygen
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fibrefood used to keep waste moving through your digestive system.
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Filteredsolid bits are separated from a mixture
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Food chain
a diagram showing what an animal eats and what eats it
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Food weba diagram made of lots of joined up food chains, showing what eats what in a habitat and the flow of energy
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Fossils
remains of plant or animal material found in rock
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Freezeschanges from liquid to solid state
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Frequencynumber of vibrations a second
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G |
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Gaseous exchangewhen oxygen passes into the blood and carbon dioxide is moved out of the blood, takes place in the alveoli
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Geologista scientist who studies the Earth
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Grainsthe usually small fragments or crystals that make up a rock
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growincrease in size.
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H |
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Habitatthe place where an animal or plant lives | ||
Herbivoreanimals that eat only plants
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Hertzunit of frequency measurement
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I |
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Igneous rocksrocks formed from molten (melted) material
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immuneantibodies already in your blood recognise microbes and stop them causing disease
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Impuritiesunwanted parts of a mixture
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Incident raylight ray that hits a surface
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infectionhaving a microbe present in your body, usually causes symptoms
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infectiousbeing able to pass on a disease
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Infrared radiationheat energy moving like visible light
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Inhalebreathing air into the lungs
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Inspirebreathing air into the lungs
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Insulatormaterial that reduces the amount of heat, electricity or sound energy moving through it
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Interlockingrock grains that fit together without any gaps between them
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Iriscoloured ring that controls the size of the pupil in a human eye
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L |
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Lactic acidby-product of anaerobic respiration, causes aching muscles
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Lateral inversionobjects appear back to front when seen reflected in a mirror
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Lavamolten rock on the surface of the Earth
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Lenspart of the eye that focuses light onto the retina
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Light yeardistance light moves in one year
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Luminous objectobject that gives off light
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M |
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Magmamolten rock underground
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Magnetic fieldregion where there is a magnetic force
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Magnetic field lineslines showing which way a magnetic north pole would move
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mechanical digestiondigestion of food which involves physical action to break food into smaller pieces, for example chewing.
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Mediummaterial that energy, eg sound or heat, passes through
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Melting pointthe temperature at which a pure substance changes from a solid to a liquid (or a liquid to a solid)
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Metamorphic rocksrocks formed from other rocks changed by heat and pressure
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microbes
tiny organisms which can only be seen using a microscope
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mineralssubstances required in small amounts by the body.
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Mnemonican easily remembered phrase to remind you of the initial letters of a list (eg MRS GREN)
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Mohs’ scalescale used to compare the hardness of minerals
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Moleculea group of atoms that are chemically joined together
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mouthbeginning of the digestive system where food enters the body.
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N |
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Noise pollutionsound which causes a nuisance
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Non-interlockingrock grains that fit together with gaps between them
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Non-luminous objectobject that does not give off light
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Normalline at right angles to a surface
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North poleend of magnet which attracts a south pole
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nutrientssubstances in your food which are needed and used by your body.
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nutritional labellabel found on food packaging which states the amount of each nutrient. | |
O |
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Omnivoreanimals that eat both plants and animals
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Opaquea material that does not allow visible light to pass through it
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Oxygena colourless non-metallic element that is a gas involved in burning
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P |
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pathogenorganism which causes disease
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penicillinfirst antibiotic, discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming
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Periodic Tablethe table showing all the elements
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Physicalproperties concerning changes that do not involve the formation of a new substance
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Pitchhow high or low a sound is
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Plant kingdomgroup of living things which make their food using chlorophyll
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Plasmafluid part of the blood which carries everything apart from oxygen around the body
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Population sizenumber of individuals in a species in a specific area at a specific time
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Porous
a rock with spaces between the grains
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Predatorsan animal which hunts other animals for food
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prescriptionform written by a doctor to get medicines, includes antibiotics
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Preyan animal which is hunted and eaten by another animal
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Primary coloursthree colours (red, blue and green) that combine to give all the other colours seen by the human eye
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Primary consumerthe first animal in a food chain; it always eats the producer
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Producersplants, which produce their own food using energy from the Sun
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Producta substance that is made during a chemical change
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Propertiesthe characteristics of a substance
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proteinfood needed for growth and repair of tissues, also used to make enzymes.
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Pyramid of numbers
a diagram showing the number of organisms at each level of a food chain
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R |
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Ray diagramdiagram that shows which way light rays travel
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RDAsuggested amount of each nutrient which is needed daily to stay healthy.
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Reactantssubstances that react together during a chemical change
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Red blood cellscells in the blood which carry oxygen around the body
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Reflected raylight ray that bounces off a surface
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Reflectslight bounces off a surface
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Refractionbending of light when it moves from one material to another of different density
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Repel
force pushing something away
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resistantwhen bacteria are not affected by antibiotics
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Retinalight sensitive surface at the back of the eye
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ricketsdisease caused by a lack of vitamin D in the diet
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Rock cyclea way (usually a diagram) of linking all the processes involved in the formation of rocks
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Rootspart of the plant usually below ground which anchors the plant and absorbs nutrients
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rotsubstances broken down by chemical action of microbes
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S |
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Samplethe measured area used for sampling
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Samplingmethod for estimating the population size
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Scattered
disorganisation of light
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scurvydisease caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet
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Secondary consumerthe second animal in a food chain; it always eats the primary consumer
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Sedimentary rocksrocks formed from deposited rock fragments
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Sedimentsfragments of broken rock that have been deposited
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Sexually transmitted diseasemicrobes passed onto others during sexual intercourse
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Shadowarea of darkness where light is blocked by an object
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sickle-cellInherited disease which affects anaemia the ability the blood has to carry oxygen
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skinmain barrier our bodies have against microbe infection
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Sodiuma silvery metallic element that explodes on contact with water
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Sourceplace which light or heat comes from
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South poleend of magnet which attracts a north pole
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Speciesliving things which can reproduce with one another
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Spectruma range of light colours
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Sulphur
a solid, yellow, non-metallic element
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T |
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Temperaturehow hot or cold a material is
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Texturethe way that rock grains fit together
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Thermal energyheat energy in a material
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Thermometerdevice for measuring temperature
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Translucenta material that scatters visible light as it passes through it
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Transmissionlight passing through a material
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transmitteda method for passing microbes onto another person
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Transparenta material that allows visible light to pass through it without scattering
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Transport
the process of moving rock fragments from one place to another
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U |
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Ultrasoundsound with a frequency / pitch above the range of human hearing
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Upliftingthe process of rocks being moved from deep underground to the surface of the Earth
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V |
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vaccinesubstances put in your blood to make you immune to certain microbes
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Vacuumspace with no material in it
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Veinsblood vessels that carry blood towards the heart
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Vibratingmoving back and forward rapidly
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Viscousthick, sticky liquid
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vitaminssubstances required in small amounts by the body
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W |
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Weathering
the process of changing a rock by natural processes
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white blood cellscells in the blood which defend the body
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Word equationa way of recording a chemical change
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