- abdomen
- rear part of an insect's body
- absorb
- take something in
- adductor
- strong muscle of an oyster that attaches the oyster's body to its shell
- amplifier
- device that makes sounds louder
- anemometer
- instrument used to measure wind speed
- antennae
- delicate, long pair of movable parts on the top of an insect's head used for smelling and touching
- atom
- smallest part of a material that retains the properties of that material
- attract
- pull toward
- ballast tanks
- air and water tanks that make a submarine move up and down in the water
- barometer
- any instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure
- biceps
- large set of muscles in the upper arm
- carbon dioxide
- gas made up of carbon and oxygen
- cartilage
- soft, bonelike material between bones
- center of gravity
- point at which the whole of an object's weight is concentrated
- chromatography
- technique for separating chemical substances by taking advantage of the different rates at which the substances are absorbed from a moving liquid
- chromosomes
- tiny parts of a cell that carry genes
- colors
- sensations produced by visible light entering the human eye
- compass
- instrument used for determining directions
- concave
- having a hollowed surface; bending inward
- concentrated
- full strength; not mixed with anything
- condensation
- change of the state of a substance from a vapor to a liquid
- cones
- special parts of the eye that distinguish colors
- converted
- changed
- convex
- having a protruding surface; bending outward
- deflate
- collapse by letting out air
- density
- a measure of weight in relation to volume
- dew
- warm, moist air that comes into contact with cooler objects, causing moisture to appear on them
- dew point
- temperature on a thermometer when dew or vapor just begins to form
- diameter
- distance across the middle of a circle
- dilute
- make weaker
- displaced
- pushed out of the way
- double convex lens
- a lens that is thicker in the middle than at the edges
- dye
- coloring substance
- elastic
- material that returns to its original state after it has been distorted by a force
- electromagnet
- temporary magnet that allows the flow of electricity through a wire
- energy
- ability to do work
- farsighted
- able to see distant objects better than close-up objects
- focal point
- point at which lines of light come together
- force
- power or energy that creates something
- friction
- the force that resists motion between two objects rubbing against one another
- fulcrum
- point at which a lever rests when lifting an object
- gears
- wheels with teeth around the edges that come together and turn each other
- gene
- small unit of a cell that passes characteristics from one generation to another
- genetics
- the study of why living things look and behave as they do
- gravity
- force that attracts objects to the center of the Earth and keeps planets and other heavenly bodies in orbit
- hemisphere
- half section of the Earth
- humidity
- amount of water vapor in the air
- ignite
- set on fire
- inflate
- put air into an object so that it expands
- iris
- colored part of the eye around the pupil
- kaleidoscope
- small tube of mirrors in which patterns are produced
- kinetic energy
- energy due to motion
- latex
- elastic type of material
- left valve
- the part of an oyster that attaches to objects in the water
- lens
- curved transparent material that bends rays of light
- lever
- bar resting on a support that is pushed down at one end to lift the other end
- light
- form of energy that is the source of illumination
- lightning
- flash in the sky produced when electricity passes from one cloud to another
- lines of force
- lines in the field around a magnet that show which poles attract and which repel
- liquid
- matter in a state in which molecules are able to move around but are still held in contact with the molecules around them
- machine
- any device that modifies a force so work can be done more easily
- magnet
- a material that attracts certain other materials, such as metals
- magnetic
- having the properties of magnets
- magnetic field
- the attraction area around magnets
- mantle
- fold of tissue lining an oyster's shell
- metabolism
- process in living things that turns food into energy, new cells, and waste
- mirror
- a surface that reflects most of the light falling on it
- molecule
- smallest part of an element or compound capable of leading a separate existence
- mollusk
- animal that grows a shell to protect itself
- nearsighted
- able to see close-up objects better than distant objects
- organism
- living thing
- ovipositor
- long, pointed, divided segment of an insect's body at the end of the abdomen used for laying eggs in soft ground
- particles
- very tiny pieces
- pendulum
- weight hanging from a fixed point
- periscope
- instrument that makes it possible to see around corners
- pigment
- substance in things that gives color
- pivot
- point at which something turns
- plastron
- under-shell of a turtle
- plumb line
- device used to find vertical lines
- poles
- north and south ends of a magnet
- polluted
- unclean, impure, or dirty
- potential energy
- energy that is stored
- pressure
- force acting on each unit of area of a surface
- primary colors
- yellow, blue, and red
- pulley
- simple machine using rope and one or more wheels to change the direction of a force
- pulse
- regular beating in the arteries caused by movements of the heart as it pumps blood
- pupil
- opening in the center of the eye
- rainbow
- arc-shaped band of colors
- reflect
- bounce light off
- refract
- bend light
- repel
- push away
- resistance
- ability to withstand a force
- secondary colors
- combinations of two primary colors
- secrete
- give off or release
- segment
- section
- shadow
- the dark area where light rays would have fallen if not for an object in the way
- solar energy
- energy from the sun
- spectrum
- a series of colored bands of light that can be seen when light is broken up, such as by a prism
- spinal column
- long row of connected bones forming the backbone
- spinal cord
- nerve tissue running down the spinal column
- static electricity
- stationary electric charge
- stethoscope
- instrument for listening to sounds of the body
- surface tension
- force that attracts water molecules to one another and that holds the surface of water together
- telescope
- optical device containing lenses and mirrors for magnifying distant objects
- thermometer
- device for measuring temperature
- thorax
- middle part of an insect's body
- triceps
- small set of muscles in the upper arm
- vapor
- a substance in its gas state
- vertebrates
- animals with a backbone
- vertical
- straight up and down
- viscosity
- ability of fluids to flow
- volume
- amount of space inside something
- weight
- downward force exerted on an object by gravity
- wind chill
- cooling effects of the winds and temperatures on skin