Science Notes: Vocab

Question 1

Define Atom

Answer 1

The smallest particle of an element; made of electrons, protons, and neutrons.

Question 2

Define Energy Transfer

Answer 2

Movement of energy from one system to another.

Question 3

Define Heat

Answer 3

Energy transferred between two objects of different temperatures that moves continually in a predictable pattern, from a warmer site to a cooler site, until all sites have reached the same temperature.

Question 4

Define Kinetic Energy

Answer 4

Energy of motion.

Question 5

Define Matter

Answer 5

Anything that has volume and mass.

Question 6

Define Molecule

Answer 6

The simplest unit of a chemical compound that can exist, formed when two or more atoms join together chemically.

Question 7

Define Potential Energy

Answer 7

Energy that is stored in a system or object.

Question 8

Define States of Matter

Answer 8

Distinct forms of matter known in everyday experience: solid, liquid, and gas; also referred to as phases.

Question 9

Define Temperature

Answer 9

Average kinetic energy of all the particles in a material; measured by a thermometer in degrees (usually degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit).

Question 10

Define Thermal Energy

Answer 10

The total kinetic (motion) energy of the tiny particles that make up matter; the faster the particles move, the warmer the matter becomes.

Question 11

Define Total Internal Energy

Answer 11

The sum of all the kinetic energy (KE) and potential energy (PE) that is found within a substance.