caldera
cambium
capillary
carbohydrate
carbon cycle
carbon film
carbon monoxide
cardiac muscle
carnivore
carrier wave
carrying capacity
cartilage
cast
catalyst
cathode-ray tube
large, circular-shaped opening formed
when the top of a volcano collapses.
vascular tissue that produces xylem and
phloem cells as a plant grows.
microscopic blood vessel that connects
arteries and veins; has walls one cell
thick, through which nutrients and oxygen
diffuse into body cells, and waste
materials and carbon dioxide diffuse out
of body cells.
nutrient that usually is the body’s main
source of energy.
model describing how carbon molecules
move between the living and nonliving
world.
thin film of carbon residue preserved as
a fossil.
colorless, odorless gas that reduces the
oxygen content in the blood, is found in
car exhaust, and contributes to air
pollution.
striated, involuntary muscle found only
in the heart.
animal that eats only other animals or
the remains of other animals; mammals
having large, sharp canine teeth and
strong jaw muscles for eating flesh.
specific frequency that a radio station
is assigned and uses to broadcast
signals.
largest number of individuals of a
particular species that an ecosystem can
support over time.
tough, flexible tissue that joins
vertebrae and makes up all or part of the
vertebrate endoskeleton; in humans,
thick, smooth, flexible, and slippery
tissue layer that covers the ends of
bones, makes movement easier by reducing
friction, and absorbs shocks.
a type of body fossil that forms when
crystals fill a mold or sediments wash
into a mold and harden into rock.
substance that speeds up a chemical
reaction without being permanently
changed itself.
sealed vacuum tube that produces one or
more beams of electrons that produce an
image when they strike the coating on the
inside of a TV screen.
cave
cell membrane
cell theory
cell wall
cell
cellulose
cementation
Cenozoic Era
central nervous
system
centripetal
acceleration
centripetal force
ceramics
cerebellum
cerebrum
chain reaction
channel
charging by contact
charging by
underground opening that can form when
acidic groundwater dissolves limestone.
protective outer covering of all cells
that regulates the interaction between
the cell and the environment.
states that all organisms are made up of
one or more cells, the cell is the basic
unit of life, and all cells come from
other cells.
rigid structure that encloses, supports,
and protects the cells of plants, algae,
fungi, and most bacteria.
smallest unit of an organism that can
carry on life functions.
chemical compound made out of sugar;
forms tangled fibers in the cell walls of
many plants and provides structure and
support.
sedimentary rock-forming process in which
sediment grains are held together by
natural cements that are produced when
water moves through rock and soil.
era of recent life that began about 66
million years ago and continues today;
includes the first appearance of Homo
sapiens about 400,000 years ago.
division of the nervous system, made up
of the brain and spinal cord.
acceleration of an object toward the
center of a curved or circular path.
a net force that is directed toward the
center of a curved or circular path.
versatile materials made from dried clay
or clay-like mixtures with customizable
properties; produced by a process in
which an object is molded and then heated
to high temperatures, increasing its
density.
part of the brain that controls voluntary
muscle movements, maintains muscle tone,
and helps maintain balance.
largest part of the brain, where memory
is stored, movements are controlled, and
impulses from the senses are interpreted.
ongoing series of fission reactions.
groove created by water moving down the
same path.
process of transferring charge between
objects by touching or rubbing.
process of rearranging electrons on a
induction
chemical bond
chemical change
chemical digestion
chemical equation
chemical formula
chemical potential
energy
chemical property
chemical reaction
chemical weathering
chemosynthesis
chemotherapy
chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs)
chlorophyll
chloroplast
chordate
chromosome
chromosphere
chyme
cilia
neutral object by bringing a charged
object close to it.
force that holds atoms together in a
compound.
change of one substance into a new
substance.
occurs when enzymes and other chemicals
break down large food molecules into
smaller ones.
shorthand method to describe chemical
reactions using chemical formulas and
other symbols.
chemical shorthand that uses symbols to
tell what elements are in a compound and
their ratios.
energy stored in chemical bonds.
any characteristic of a substance, such
as flammability, that indicates whether
it can undergo a certain chemical change.
process in which one or more substances
are changed into new substances.
occurs when chemical reactions dissolve
the minerals in rocks or change them into
different minerals.
process in which producers make energyrich nutrient molecules from chemicals.
use of chemicals to destroy cancer cells.
group of chemical compounds used in
refrigerators, air conditioners, foam
packaging, and aerosol sprays that may
enter the atmosphere and destroy ozone.
green, light-trapping pigment in plant
chloroplasts that is important in
photosynthesis.
green, chlorophyll-containing, plant-cell
organelle that uses light energy to
produce sugar from carbon dioxide and
water.
animal that has a notochord, a nerve
cord, pharyngeal pouches, and a postanal
tail present at some stage in its
development.
structure in a cell’s nucleus that
contains hereditary material.
layer of the Sun’s atmosphere above the
photosphere.
liquid product of digestion.
in protists, short, threadlike structures
that extend from the cell membrane of a
cinder cone volcano
circuit
cleavage
climate
climax community
closed circulatory
system
cloud chamber
coal
cochlea
coefficient
coherent light
colloid
combustion reaction
comet
commensalism
community
ciliate and enable the organism to move
quickly.
steep-sided, loosely packed volcano
formed when tephra falls to the ground.
closed conducting loop through which an
electric current can flow.
physical property of some minerals that
causes them to break along smooth, flat
surfaces.
average weather conditions of an area
over time, including wind, temperature,
and rainfall or other types of
precipitation such as snow or sleet.
stable, end stage of ecological
succession in which balance is in the
absence of disturbance.
blood circulation system in which blood
moves through the body in closed vessels.
radiation detector that uses water or
ethanol vapor to detect the paths of
charged particles.
sedimentary rock formed from decayed
plant material; the world’s most abundant
fossil fuel.
fluid-filled structure in the inner ear
in which sound vibrations are converted
into nerve impulses that are sent to the
brain.
number in a chemical equation that
represents the number of units of each
substance taking part in a chemical
reaction.
light of a single wavelength that travels
in a single direction with its crests and
troughs aligned.
heterogeneous mixture whose particles
never settle.
a type of chemical reaction that occurs
when a substance reacts with oxygen to
produce energy in the form of heat and
light.
space object made of dust and rock
particles mixed with frozen water,
methane, and ammonia that forms a bright
coma as it approaches the Sun.
a type of symbiotic relationship in which
one organism benefits and the other
organism is not affected.
all the populations of different species
that live in an ecosystem.
compaction
composite volcano
composite
compound machine
compound
compressional wave
concave lens
concave mirror
condensation
conditioning
conduction
conductivity
conductor
conic projection
conservation
constant
constellation
consumer
process that forms sedimentary rocks when
layers of sediments are compressed by the
weight of the layers above them.
volcano built by alternating explosive
and quiet eruptions that produce layers
of tephra and lava; found mostly where
Earth’s plates come together and one
plate sinks below the other.
mixture of two materials, one of which is
embedded in the other.
machine that is a combination of two or
more simple machines.
atoms of more than one type of element
that are chemically bonded together.
a wave for which the matter in the medium
moves back and forth along the direction
that the wave travels.
a lens that is thicker at the edges than
in the middle; causes light rays to
diverge and forms reduced, upright,
virtual images; and is usually used in
combination with other lenses.
a reflective surface that curves inward
and can magnify objects or create beams
of light.
process in which water vapor changes to a
liquid.
occurs when the response to a stimulus
becomes associated with another stimulus.
transfer of energy that occurs when
molecules bump into each other.
property of metals and alloys that allows
heat or electrical charges to pass
through the material easily.
material, such as copper wire, in which
electrons can move easily.
map made by projecting points and lines
from a globe onto a cone.
careful use of resources to reduce damage
to the environment though such methods as
composting and recycling materials.
in an experiment, a variable that does
not change when other variables change.
group of stars that forms a pattern in
the sky that looks like a familiar object
(Libra), animal (Pegasus), or character
(Orion).
organism that cannot create energy-rich
molecules but obtains its food by eating
other organisms.
continental drift
Wegener’s hypothesis that all continents
were once connected in a single large
landmass that broke apart about 200
million years ago and drifted slowly to
their current positions.
continental shelf
gradually sloping end of a continent that
extends beneath the ocean.
continental slope
ocean basin feature that dips steeply
down from the continental shelf.
contour farming
planting along the natural contours of
the land to reduce soil erosion.
contour feathers
strong, lightweight feathers that give
birds their coloring and shape and that
are used for flight.
contour line
line on a map that connects points of
equal elevation.
control
standard to which the outcome of a test
is compared.
convection current
current in Earth’s mantle that transfers
heat in Earth’s interior and is the
driving force for plate tectonics.
convection
transfer of thermal energy in a fluid by
the movement of warmer and cooler fluid
from one place to another.
convex lens
a lens that is thicker in the middle than
at the edges and can form real or virtual
images.
convex mirror
a reflective surface that curves outward
and forms a reduced, upright, virtual
image.
coral reef
diverse ecosystem formed from the calcium
carbonate shells secreted by corals.
Coriolis effect
causes moving air and water to turn left
in the southern hemisphere and turn right
in the northern hemisphere due to Earth’s
rotation.
cornea
transparent covering on the eyeball
through which light enters the eye.
corona
outermost, largest layer of the Sun’s
atmosphere; extends millions of
kilometers into space and has
temperatures up to 2 million K.
coronary circulation flow of blood to and from the tissues of
the heart.
courtship behavior
behavior that allows males and females of
the same species to recognize each other
and prepare to mate.
covalent bond
attraction formed between atoms when they
share electrons.
crater
steep-walled depression around a
creep
crest
critical mass
crop
crystal
cuticle
cyanobacteria
cyclic behavior
cytoplasm
volcano’s vent.
a type of mass movement in which
sediments move down-slope very slowly; is
common in areas of freezing and thawing,
and can cause walls, trees, and fences to
lean downhill.
highest point of a wave.
amount of fissionable material required
so that each fission reaction produces
approximately one more fission reaction.
digestive system sac in which earthworms
store ingested soil.
solid in which the atoms are arranged in
an orderly, repeating pattern.
waxy, protective layer that covers the
stems, leaves, and flowers of many plants
and helps prevent water loss.
chlorophyll-containing, photosynthetic
bacteria thought to be one of Earth’s
earliest life-forms.
behavior that occurs in repeated
patterns.
constantly moving gel-like mixture inside
the cell membrane that contains heredity
material and is the location of most of a
cell’s life processes.