[noun - landforms & geologic formations, weather & climate] A cylinder of ice that contains different layers of ice formed over time. Extracted by special drills, ice cores help scientists determine climate change over time and the history of an area.

• Appears in modules:

• Craig Lee

[noun - landforms & geologic formations, weather & climate] An area of snow and ice in a high elevation area that never completely thaws. Unlike glaciers, ice patches do not move and shift.

• Appears in modules:

• Craig Lee

[noun - oceanography] a large floating piece of ice that has detached from a glacier or ice sheet and been carried out to sea

[noun - matter, physical & chemical properties, matter, thermodynamics] A theoretical gas which behaves as predicted by the ideal gas equation. The molecules in an ideal gas are assumed to have no volume, and to experience no intermolecular forces of attraction or repulsion. The ideal gas equation uses the gas constant, R, and describes the relationship between a gas’s pressure (P), volume (V), amount (n, in moles), and absolute temperature (T, in Kelvins)

• Appears in modules:

• Kinetic-Molecular Theory
• Scientific Institutions and Societies

[adjective - rocks & minerals] Formed from the cooling and crystallization of a magma. Igneous rocks can be extrusive, meaning that they cooled on or very near Earth's surface, or intrusive, meaning that they cooled below Earth's surface.

• Appears in modules:

• Description in Scientific Research
• The Rock Cycle
• The Silicate Minerals

[adjective - physical & chemical properties, hydrology & fresh water] Substances that do not intermix; for example, oil and water will separate into different substances.

[noun] Resistance against infection by a particular disease; the body’s ability to protect against a particular infectious disease.

• Appears in modules:

• Carlos J. Finlay
• Discovery and Structure of Cells
• Future of Human Evolution
• Louis Tompkins Wright

[adjective] In a test tube; in an artificial environment outside of a living organism.

[noun - scientific tools & techniques, research methods] In science, an independent variable is a condition or parameter that is consciously manipulated in some way in the course of scientific research with the goal of observing the outcome of this manipulation on a second variable, referred to as a dependent variable. For more information, see our module Experimentation in Scientific Research.

• Appears in modules:

• Experimentation in Scientific Research
• Exponential Equations in Science I
• Introduction to Inferential Statistics

[acids, bases & pH] A substance that, when added to an aqueous solution, has a color determined by the pH. If reactant is added to a pH specific to the indicator, the color will change, indicating that the solution in the flask has reached that pH value.

• Appears in modules:

• Acids and Bases I
• Utilizing the Scientific Literature

[noun - atoms & subatomic particles] A dipole created in a molecule, whose electrons are usually distributed evenly, by proximity to another charge, such as a full charge, a permanent dipole, or a temporary dipole.

• Appears in modules:

• Properties of Liquids

[adjective - atoms & subatomic particles, physical & chemical properties] Deficient in active properties; especially, lacking a usual or anticipated chemical or biological action.

• Appears in modules:

• History of Earth's Atmosphere I
• Kinetic-Molecular Theory
• Mario Molina
• The Nitrogen Cycle

[adjective - statistics] Drawing conclusions using the logical development of generalizations from sample data, usually with calculated degrees of uncertainty.

• Appears in modules:

• Confidence Intervals
• Introduction to Inferential Statistics
• Statistics in Science

[noun - units of measurement] Having the quality of being endless or limitless. Something that is immeasurable or boundless.

• Appears in modules:

• Confidence Intervals
• Exponential Equations in Science II
• Introduction to Inferential Statistics
• Linear Equations in Science
• The Nature of Scientific Knowledge

[adjective - genetics & inheritance, data, research methods] Part of the fundamental nature of something; belonging as an inseparable characteristic.

• Appears in modules:

• Confidence Intervals
• Data Analysis and Interpretation
• Diffusion I
• Introduction to Descriptive Statistics
• Introduction to Inferential Statistics
• Properties of Liquids
• Properties of Minerals
• Statistics in Science
• The Practice of Science
• The Process of Science
• Uncertainty, Error, and Confidence
• Utilizing the Scientific Literature

[noun - genetics & inheritance] The transmission of genetic traits from parent to offspring.

• Appears in modules:

• Animal Behavior
• Barbara McClintock
• Creativity in Science
• DNA I
• Gene Expression
• Linear Equations in Science
• Mendel and Independent Assortment
• Mendel and Inheritance
• Scientists and the Scientific Community
• Theories, Hypotheses, and Laws

[adjective - genetics & inheritance] Passed down from one generation to another generation.

• Appears in modules:

• Charles Darwin II
• Creativity in Science
• David Ho
• Gene Expression
• Mendel and Independent Assortment
• Mendel and Inheritance
• Population Genetics
• Theories, Hypotheses, and Laws
• Y-Chromsome and Mitochondrial DNA Haplotypes

[adjective - compounds, organic & biochemistry] Not originating from a living organism; not a compound that contains hydrocarbons.

• Appears in modules:

• Craig Lee
• Defining Minerals
• Diffusion I
• Photosynthesis I
• The Carbon Cycle
• The Nitrogen Cycle
• The Phosphorus Cycle

[noun - planetary science, solar and lunar processes, atmospheric science, weather & climate, energy resources, weather & climate] The output of electromagnetic energy from the sun as measured on Earth. Solar insolation is often measured as watts per meter squared or W/m². Humans perceive this energy as sunlight.

• Appears in modules:

• Factors that Control Earth's Temperature
• Factors that Control Regional Climate

[adjective] Unable to be dissolved.

• Appears in modules:

• Chemical Reactions
• DNA III
• Fats and Proteins
• History of Earth's Atmosphere II
• Lipids
• Membranes I
• Properties of Liquids
• Solutions, Solubility, and Colligative Properties

[noun - materials science, matter, physical & chemical properties] A material that does not conduct a specific form of energy such as electricity, heat, and/or sound.

• Appears in modules:

• Properties of Solids

[noun - physical & chemical properties] A property of matter that is independent of the amount of material present. Common intensive properties include boiling point, color, density, melting point, and solubility.

[adjective] Relating to or drawn from more than one branch of science or knowledge. For example, an interdisciplinary research team studying climate change might have an environmental scientist, a computer programmer, a chemist, and an economist.

• Appears in modules:

• Data Analysis and Interpretation
• The Carbon Cycle

[noun - time periods] Any of those parts of geologic time from Precambrian onward when a similar or lesser portion of the Earth was covered by glaciers than at present.

• Appears in modules:

• Animal Behavior
• The Carbon Cycle

[organization - weather & climate, weather & climate, data, science communication] A scientific body created to evaluate the risk of human-caused climate change. The panel was established in 1988 by two organizations of the United Nations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

• Appears in modules:

• Comparison in Scientific Research
• Data Analysis and Interpretation

[noun - atoms & subatomic particles, materials science, matter, physical & chemical properties] A force that is exerted between neighboring molecules, as opposed to the forces that are exerted within individual molecules to keep the atoms together (intramolecular force). Intermolecular forces include hydrogen bonding, dipole-dipole interactions, and Van der Waals forces.

• Appears in modules:

• Kinetic-Molecular Theory
• Properties of Liquids
• Solutions, Solubility, and Colligative Properties
• Water

[noun - scientific tools & techniques, data, research methods, science & decision making, science communication, scientific concepts] An explanation of patterns observed in the data.

• Appears in modules:

• Barbara McClintock
• Data Analysis and Interpretation
• History of Earth's Atmosphere I
• Introduction to Inferential Statistics
• Peer Review in Scientific Publishing
• Plates, Plate Boundaries, and Driving Forces
• Scientific Controversy
• Scientific Ethics
• Statistics in Science
• The Case of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
• The How and Why of Scientific Meetings
• The Nature of Scientific Knowledge
• The Practice of Science
• The Process of Science
• The Rock Cycle
• Theories, Hypotheses, and Laws
• Thermodynamics I
• Understanding Scientific Journals and Articles
• Utilizing the Scientific Literature

[adjective - anatomy & physiology, medicine] Pertaining to or located between the small spaces and gaps between tissues in an organism.

[noun - atmospheric science, weather & climate] The latitude band between about 5° N and 5° S, where warm, wet air masses converge and rise. Abbreviated as ITCZ.

• Appears in modules:

• Factors that Control Regional Climate

[noun - organisms, taxonomy & systematics, organisms] An organism without a backbone. Invertebrates account for 95-99% of all animal species on Earth and include organisms like worms, insects, and mollusks.

[adjective] Pertaining to an organism without a backbone.

• Appears in modules:

• Adaptation
• Kevin Arrigo
• Theories, Hypotheses, and Laws

[noun - atoms & subatomic particles, physical & chemical properties] An atom or molecule that has acquired an electrical charge by either gaining or losing electrons. A cation is an ion that has lost electrons and acquired a positive charge. An anion is an ion that has gained electrons and acquired a negative charge.

• Appears in modules:

• Acids and Bases I
• Acids and Bases II
• Atomic Theory II
• Chemical Bonding
• Chemical Reactions
• Composition of Earth's Atmosphere
• Discovery and Structure of Cells
• History of Earth's Atmosphere I
• Lipids
• Membranes I
• Membranes II
• Meselson and Stahl
• Origins of Life II
• Photosynthesis I
• Properties of Solids
• Ruth Benerito
• Santiago Ramón y Cajal and Camillo Golgi
• Solutions, Solubility, and Colligative Properties
• States of Matter
• The Carbon Cycle
• The Nitrogen Cycle
• The Silicate Minerals
• Water

[noun - atoms & subatomic particles, compounds, physical & chemical properties] A chemical bond characterized by electrostatic attraction between ions of opposite charge. The formation of an ionic bond involves a complete transfer of electrons between atoms, and can be predicted when one bonding atom has a much higher electronegativity than the other. Compare to hydrogen bond.

• Appears in modules:

• Chemical Bonding
• Properties of Liquids
• Properties of Solids

[noun - atoms & subatomic particles, compounds] A chemical compound held together by ionic bonds, that is, electrostatic attraction between positive and negative ions. Ionic compounds generally form ordered structures in which each cation is surrounded by several anions and vice versa. Thus ionic compounds commonly form complex lattices rather than true molecules.

[adjective] An atom that has lost or gained electrons to become charged. See anion and cation.

• Appears in modules:

• Atomic Theory I
• Atomic Theory II
• History of Earth's Atmosphere I
• Photosynthesis I
• States of Matter

[acronym - weather & climate, data, science & decision making, science communication] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

• Appears in modules:

• Data Analysis and Interpretation

[person - forces, light & optics, scientific concepts] English alchemist, physicist, astronomer and mathematician born in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, Lincolnshire (1643-1727). In 1672, Newton offered an experimental proof that light is composed of particles, and developed a theory of color based on the separation of white light through a prism. This theory was broadly (though not universally) accepted until the 18^th century. In 1687, he published the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which many considered the most influential book in the history of science. In it, Newton presents his theories of universal gravitation and the laws of motion. He is credited, along with Gottfried Leibniz, for the development of calculus, and he demonstrated a consistency between Kepler's laws of planetary motion and his theory of gravity, dispelling the final doubts in the scientific community over a heliocentric view of the solar system. He also contributed significantly to the development of new technology, inventing the reflecting telescope.

• Appears in modules:

• Atomic Theory II
• Charles Darwin II
• Chemical Bonding
• Comparison in Scientific Research
• Defining Minerals
• Description in Scientific Research
• Earth Structure
• Energy
• Experimentation in Scientific Research
• Gravity
• Light I
• Scientific Institutions and Societies
• The Practice of Science
• Theories, Hypotheses, and Laws
• Understanding Scientific Journals and Articles
• Unit Conversion
• Using Graphs and Visual Data in Science
• Utilizing the Scientific Literature
• Waves and Wave Motion

[adjective - atoms & subatomic particles] Different atomic species that have the same electronic configurations. For example, hydrogen atoms and helium ions (He⁺¹) are isoelectronic because the two species each exist with a single valence electron.

• Appears in modules:

• Atomic Theory II

[noun - atoms & subatomic particles, physical & chemical properties] Molecules with identical molecular formulas but differing in the sequence of bonding or arrangement in space of their atoms, i.e., their structural formulas.

• Appears in modules:

• Carbon Chemistry

[noun - atoms & subatomic particles, physical & chemical properties] Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons in their atomic nucleus. Isotopes have the same chemical properties and atomic number but different atomic masses. Isotopes can differ greatly in nuclear stability.

• Appears in modules:

• Atomic Theory II
• Chemical Bonding
• Data Analysis and Interpretation
• DNA I
• Early Ideas about Matter
• Exponential Equations in Science II
• History of Earth's Atmosphere I
• History of Earth's Atmosphere II
• Kinetic-Molecular Theory
• Meselson and Stahl
• Nuclear Chemistry
• The Mole and Atomic Mass
• Uncertainty, Error, and Confidence

[acronym - atmospheric science, weather & climate] Abbreviation for Intertropical Convergence Zone.

• Appears in modules:

• Factors that Control Regional Climate

[noun - research methods, science & decision making, scientific tools & techniques] One step in an iterative process. Iteration refers to a single component of a process in which multiple, repeating steps are used to determine a solution.

• Appears in modules:

• Uncertainty, Error, and Confidence

[adjective - scientific tools & techniques, science & decision making] Repetitive in a cyclical fashion. An iterative process or method in science is one in which a sequence of steps is repeated in order to solve a problem, and each repetition of the steps brings one closer and closer to the solution. For more information, see our module Uncertainty, Error, and Confidence.

• Appears in modules:

• Description in Scientific Research
• Modeling in Scientific Research
• Utilizing the Scientific Literature