Vocab Flashcards
the science that deals with the materials of the universe and the changes that these materials undergo
chemistry
the process that lies at the center of scientific inquiry
scientific method
a set of tested hypotheses that gives an overall explanation of some part of nature
theory
a statement that expresses generally observed behavior
natural law
a quantitative observation
measurement
expresses a number in the form of N X 10 to the power of M
scientific notation
part of a measurement that tells us what scale or standard is being used to represent the results of the measurement
unit
the measurement system used by many countries including the United States using feet, pounds, and seconds
English system
the measurement used in most of the world using meter, liter, and gram
metric system
a comprehensive system of units that are based on the metric system and units derived from the metric system
SI units
the amount of three-dimensional space occupied by a substance
volume
the quantity of matter present in an object
mass
the numbers recorded in a measurement (all the certain numbers plus the first uncertain number)
significant figures
reducing a number to fewer digits
rounding off
a ratio of the two parts of the statement that relates the two units
conversion factor
a statement that relates two different units of measurements
equivalence statement
changing from one unit to another via conversion factors (based on the equivalence statements between the units)
dimensional analysis
the temperature scale on which water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees
Fahrenheit scale
the temperature scale on which water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees
Celsius scale
the preferred temperature scale in scientific work, where water freezes at 273 K and boils at 373 K
Kelvin (absolute) scale
the amount of matter present in a given volume of a substance
density
the ratio of the density of a given liquid to the density of water at 4 degrees C; used to describe the density of a liquid
specific gravity
