FCAT VOCABULARY

adaptation: a characteristic of an organism that increases its chance of survival in its

environment

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

atom: the smallest unit of a chemical element that can still retain the properties of that

element

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); an imaginary straight line that

runs through a body; a reference to the line in a coordinate system or graph

carnivore: an animal or plant that consumes or obtains nutrients from animals

change of state: 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 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

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; has properties unlike those of the elements that make up the compound

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

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

decomposer: any organism that feeds or obtains nutrients by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms

density: concentration of matter of an object; number of individuals in the same species that live in a given area; the mass per unit volume of a substance in a given area

deposition: layering matter in a natural process

earthquake: the shaking of the ground caused by a sudden release of energy in Earth's crust

ecosystem: an integrated unit of a biological community, its physical environment, and interactions

element: a substance that cannot be reduced to a simpler substance by chemical means

energy: a quantity that describes the capacity to do work; a source of usable power

energy pyramid: a pyramidal diagram that compares the amount of energy available at each position, or level, in the feeding order

energy transfer: a change of energy from one form to another (e.g., mechanical to electrical, solar to electrical)

environment: the sum of conditions affecting an organism, including all living and nonliving things in an area, such as plants, animals, water, soil, weather, landforms, and air

equator: an imaginary circle around Earth's surface located between the poles and a plane perpendicular to its axis of rotation that divides it into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

erosion: the wearing away of Earth's surface by the breakdown and transportation of rock and soil

evaporation: the process by which a liquid is converted to its vapor phase by heating the liquid

experiment: a procedure that is carried out and repeated under controlled conditions in order to discover, demonstrate, or test a hypothesis; includes all components of the scientific method

food chain: transfer of energy through various stages as a result of feeding patterns of a series of organisms

food web (food cycle): the interconnected feeding relationships in a food chain found in a particular place and time

force: a quality that tends to produce movement or acceleration of a body in the direction of its application; a push or pull

fossil: a whole or part of a plant or animal that has been preserved in sedimentary rock

friction: a force that opposes the relative motion of two material surfaces in contact with one another

fulcrum: the pivot point of a lever

galaxy: a large collection of stars, gases, and dust that are part of the universe (e.g., the Milky Way galaxy) bound together by gravitational forces

gas: one of the fundamental states of matter in which the molecules do not have a fixed volume or shape

gravitation: a force of attraction between two masses

gravity: the observed effect of the force of gravitation

habitat: a place in an ecosystem where an organism normally lives

heat: a form of energy resulting from the temperature difference between a system and its surroundings

herbivore: an animal that feeds on plants

igneous rock: a type of rock that forms from molten or partly molten material that cools and hardens

inclined plane: a type of simple machine; a slanted surface that makes it easier to move a mass from a lower point to a higher point

inertia: the property of a body, due to its mass, that causes it to resist any change in its motion unless overcome by a force

investigation: a procedure that is carried out in order to observe a response caused by a stimulus; not a complete experiment

kinetic energy: the energy possessed by a body because of its motion

lever: a type of simple machine; consists of a rigid bar that pivots about a fulcrum, used to transmit and enhance power or motion

life cycle: the entire sequence of events in an organism's growth and development

light: electromagnetic radiation that lies within the visible range

liquid: one of the fundamental states of matter with a definite volume but no definite

shape

magnetic: having the property of attracting iron and certain other materials by virtue of a surrounding field of force

mass: the amount of matter an object contains

matter: a solid, liquid, or gas that possesses inertia and is capable of occupying space

metamorphic rock: a type of rock that forms from existing rock because of extreme

changes caused by heat, pressure, or chemical environments

microscopic: relating to an object too small to be visible without the use of a microscope

mixture: the product of a thorough blending of two or more substances, not chemically combined

moon: a natural satellite that revolves around a planet

moon phase: a phrase that indicates the fraction of the Moon's disc that is illuminated (as seen from Earth);

the eight moon phases (in order): new moon

waxing crescent

first quarter

waxing gibbous

full moon

waning gibbous

last quarter

waning crescent

nonrenewable resource: a resource that can only be replenished over millions of years

organ: a structure containing different tissues that are organized to carry out a specific function of the body (e.g., heart, lungs, brain, etc.)

organism: any living plant, animal, or fungus that maintains various vital processes necessary for life

photosynthesis: a chemical process by which plants trap light energy to convert carbon

dioxide and water into carbohydrates (sugars)

physical change: reaction; a change in matter from one form to another, without forming new

substance.

planet: a large body in space that orbits a star and does not produce light of its own

pollution: any alteration of the natural environment producing a condition harmful to living organisms; may occur naturally or as a result of human activities

population: a group of organisms of the same species living in a specific geographical area

potential energy: the energy an object has because of its position or structure; stored energy

predator: an organism that preys on and consumes animals; usually an animal

prey: an organism caught or hunted for food by another organism

producer: an organism that makes its own food from the environment; usually a green plant

protist: unicellular organisms belonging to the kingdom Protista

pulley: a type of simple machine; a circular lever, usually a wheel with a groove where a rope can be placed and used to change the direction of a force

reflection: the bouncing off or turning back of light, sound, or heat from a surface

refraction: a change in the direction of a wave that occurs as it passes from one medium to another of different density

renewable resource: a resource that is replaced or restored, as it is used, by natural processes in a reasonable amount of time

resource: any material that can be used to satisfy a need

scientific method: a plan of inquiry that uses science process skills as tools to gather, organize, analyze, and communicate information

sedimentary rock: rock formed from layers of sediment that overlay and squeeze together or are chemically combined

solar system: a star and all the planets and other bodies that orbit it; the region in space where these bodies move

solid: having a definite shape and a definite volume; one of the fundamental states of matter

solution: a mixture of two or more substances uniformly dispersed throughout a single phase

star: a large, gaseous, self-luminous body held together by gravity and powered by thermonuclear reactions

Sun: the closest star to Earth and the center of our solar system

system: a set of objects, organisms, or different parts acting to form a whole

tissue: similar cells acting to perform a specific function; four basic types of tissue are muscle, connective, nerve, and epidermal

topography: the surface, shape, and composition of a land area

universe: the total sum of all matter and energy that exists

volcano: a vent or fissure in Earth's surface through which magma and its associated materials are expelled; generally a mountain-like structure

volume: a measure of the amount of space an object takes up; also the loudness of a sound or signal

water cycle: the path water takes as it is being cycled through the environment, including condensation, evaporation, and precipitation

weathering : the natural processes that break down and change rock into soil, sand, and other materials; differs from erosion in that no transportation of those materials takes place

wheel and axle: a type of simple machine; a circular frame or disk revolving around a central axis

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION