Module 0 Vocabulary Review Flashcards
Environment
the sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life
Environmental Science
the field of science that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature
Ecosystem
location on earth with interacting biotic and abiotic components
Biotic
living
Abiotic
nonliving
Environmentalism
social movement that seeks to protect the environment
Environmental Studies
the field of study that includes environmental science and environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics
Sustainability
the ability to do something without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to engage in similar activities
Scientific Method
an objective way to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or changes
Hypothesis
a testable conjecture about how something works
Variable
any categories, factors, or traits that differ in the natural world or in experimental situations
Independent Variable
a variable that is not dependent on other factors that you are trying to study
Dependent Variable
a variable that is dependent on other factors that you are measuring
Null Hypothesis
a prediction that there is no difference between the groups of conditions that are being compared
Control Group
a group that experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group, except for the single variable under study
Natural Experiment
a natural event acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem
Replication
a procedure where scientists take several, repeated sets of measurements
Sample Size
the number of times a measurement is replicated in data collection
Accuracy
how close a measured value is to the actual or true value
Precision
how close the repeated measurements of a sample are to one another
Uncertainty
an estimate of how much a measured or calculated value differs from a true value
Inductive Reasoning
the process of making general statements from specific facts or examples
Deductive Reasoning
the process of applying a general statement to specific facts or situations
Theory
a hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers
First Law of Thermodynamics
a theory that states that energy is neither created nor destroyed but it can change from one form to another
Second Law of Thermodynamics
a theory that states that when energy is transformed, the quantity of energy remains the same, but its ability to do work diminishes
