Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Natural Laws
o Concise statements, often in mathematical form, about
natural phenomena
Hypothesis
o A tentative explanation of a series of observations or of a
natural law
Theory
o A model or conceptual framework with which one is able to
explain and make further predictions about natural
phenomena
Scientific Method
o The general sequence of activities observation,
experimentation, and formulation of hypotheses, laws, and
theories that lead to the advancement in scientific
knowledge
Matter
o Anything that occupies space, has the property known as
mass, and displays inertia
Composition
o The components and their relative proportions in a sample
of matter
Properties
o Qualities or attributes which can be used to distinguish one
sample of matter from another
Chemical Change Chemical Reaction
o A process in which one set of substances (reactants) is
transformed into a new set of substances (products)
Chemical Property
o The ability of a sample of matter to undergo a particular
chemical reaction
Atom
o The basic building block of matter. The number of different
atoms currently known is 114. A chemical element consists
of a single type of atom, and a chemical compound
consists of two or more different atoms
Element
o A substance composed of a single type of atom. It cannot
be broken down into simpler substances by chemical
reactions
Compound
o A substance made up of two or more elements. It does not
change its identity in physical changes, but it can be
Kelvin
o An absolute temperature. The lowest available
temperature is 0K=-273.15C (the temperature at which
molecular motion ceases). Kelvin and Celsius temperatures
are related through the expression
t(K)=t(C)
+273.15
Density
o A physical property obtained by dividing the mass of a
material or object by its volume
Extensive Property
o A property, like mass or volume, whose value depends on
the quantity of matter observed
Insensitive Property
o A property independent of the quantity of matter involved
in the observation. Density and temperature are examples
of insensitive properties
Systematic Errors
o An error that recurs regularly in a series of measurements
because of an inherent error in the measuring system
(faulty calibration, etc.)
Random Errors
o An error made by the experimenter in preforming an
experimental technique or measurement, such as the error
in estimating a temperature reading on a thermometer
Precision
o The degree of reproducibility of a measured quantity the
closeness of agreement among repeated measurements
Accuracy
o The closeness of a measured value to the true or accepted
value of a quantity
Significant Figures
o The digits in an experimentally measured quantity that
establish the precision with which the quantity is known
Chapter 8
Electromagnetic Radiation
o A form of energy propagated as mutually perpendicular
electric and magnetic fields. It includes visible light,
infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray, and radio waves
Wave
o A disturbance that transmits energy through a medium
Amplitude
o The height of the crest of a wave above the center line of
the wave
Wavelength