Science Vocabulary

Question 1

Air pressure

Answer 1

the force that air puts on an area

Question 2

atmosphere

Answer 2

the layers of gases that surround a planet

Question 3

barometer

Answer 3

a tool used to measure air pressure

Question 4

barometric pressure

Answer 4

the pressure (force per unit area) of the atmosphere against a surface

Question 5

Celsius

Answer 5

the metric temperature scale: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, and it freezes at 0 degrees Celsius.

Question 6

climate

Answer 6

the current or past long-term weather conditions characteristic of a region or the entire Earth.

Question 7

cloud

Answer 7

a collection of water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere

Question 8

cumulonimbus cloud

Answer 8

anvil-shaped cloud that is often involved in heavy or violent storms: Cumulonimbus clouds are also called thunderheads.

Question 9

cumulus cloud

Answer 9

large, fluffy, white clouds, often seen in fair skies; can develop into cumulonimbus clouds

Question 10

dew point

Answer 10

the temperature at which water vapor in the air condenses into water

Question 11

drought

Answer 11

a prolonged shortage of rainfall

Question 12

freezing point

Answer 12

the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid

Question 13

hurricane

Answer 13

a storm with strong winds and rain that forms over tropical waters (related term: typhoon, tropical cyclone)

Question 14

front

Answer 14

in weather, the boundary between two masses of air with different properties

Question 15

funnel cloud

Answer 15

a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud: Funnel clouds do not touch the ground.

Question 16

global warming

Answer 16

the slow warming of Earth’s atmosphere due to climatic change

Question 17

hail

Answer 17

small, icy balls that fall from the sky

Question 18

humidity

Answer 18

the measure of how much water vapor is in the air

Question 19

meteorology

Answer 19

the study of patterns of weather

Question 20

precipitation

Answer 20

water that is released from clouds in the sky; includes rain, snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain

Question 21

thunder

Answer 21

a loud noise that happens when lightning heats the air and causes it to expand and contract quickly

Question 22

Thunderstorm

Answer 22

a weather system that produces heavy precipitation, winds, lightning, and thunder

Question 23

tornado

Answer 23

a funnel-shaped cloud or column of air that rotates at high speeds and extends downward from a cloud to the ground

Question 24

tropical depression

Answer 24

a region of low pressure with counter-clockwise wind rotation that develops into a hurricane or tropical storm

Question 25

typhoon

Answer 25

a hurricane or tropical storm originating in the Pacific Ocean

Question 26

weather

Answer 26

the properties of the atmosphere at a given time and location, including temperature, air movement and precipitation