General Science Concepts

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This set covers fundamental science concepts and definitions, designed for students learning general science.

55 cards English Level: School Mechanics Published
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Atom
The basic unit of a chemical element, consisting of a nucleus surrounded by electrons.
Molecule
A group of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.
Cell
The basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms.
Gravity
A fundamental natural force of attraction between all objects with mass or energy.
Photosynthesis
The process by which green plants and certain organisms transform light energy into chemical energy.
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)
The molecule that carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, and functioning of organisms.
Energy
The capacity to do work or cause physical change, existing in forms like kinetic, potential, and thermal.
Conservation of Energy
A physical law stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.
Velocity
The rate and direction of an object's movement, defined as displacement per unit time.
Acceleration
The rate of change of velocity of an object over time.
Inertia
The tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion.
Force
An interaction that, when unopposed, changes the motion of an object; mathematically mass times acceleration.
Mass
A measure of the amount of matter in an object, independent of gravity.
Weight
The downward force exerted on an object's mass by gravity.
Density
The mass of a substance divided by its volume, measuring how tightly matter is packed.
Plate Tectonics
The theory explaining the structure of the earth's crust and resulting continental drift and earthquakes.
Evolution
The change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.
Natural Selection
The process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
Gene
A basic unit of heredity composed of a specific sequence of DNA nucleotides.
Chromosome
A long, thread-like structure of nucleic acids and protein carrying genetic information in cells.
Mitosis
A type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number of chromosomes as the parent.
Meiosis
Cell division that reduces chromosome count by half, producing four genetically distinct gametes.
Enzyme
A biological catalyst, usually a protein, that speeds up specific chemical reactions without being consumed.
pH Scale
A logarithmic scale measuring the acidity or basicity of a solution from 0 (acidic) to 14 (basic).
Acid
A chemical substance that donates hydrogen ions (protons) in aqueous solutions and has a pH below 7.
Base (Alkali)
A chemical substance that accepts hydrogen ions or donates hydroxide ions in solution, with a pH above 7.
Ion
An atom or molecule that has gained or lost one or more electrons, giving it a net electrical charge.
Isotope
Variants of a particular chemical element that differ in neutron number, while retaining the same number of protons.
Periodic Table
A tabular arrangement of chemical elements organized by atomic number, electron configuration, and chemical properties.
Thermodynamics
The branch of physics concerned with heat, work, temperature, and the statistical behavior of systems.
Entropy
A measure of molecular disorder or randomness in a closed thermodynamic system.
Light Year
A unit of astronomical distance equal to the distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year (about 9.46 trillion km).
Electromagnetic Spectrum
The full range of all frequencies of electromagnetic radiation, from radio waves to gamma rays.
Wavelength
The distance between consecutive crests, troughs, or identical points of a wave.
Frequency
The number of waves or cycles that pass a given point in one second, measured in Hertz (Hz).
Refraction
The bending of a wave when it enters a medium with a different optical density, changing its speed.
Diffraction
The slight bending and spreading out of waves around the corners of an obstacle or through an aperture.
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical, non-living environment.
Trophic Level
The position an organism occupies in a food web, such as producer, primary consumer, or apex predator.
Homeostasis
The state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems.
Osmosis
The spontaneous net movement of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane into a region of higher solute concentration.
Diffusion
The net movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.
Hypothesis
A proposed, testable explanation for an observed phenomenon used as a starting point for further investigation.
Scientific Theory
A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world based on a body of facts repeatedly confirmed by observation and experiment.
Solute
A substance dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent, forming a solution.
Solvent
A substance, usually liquid, capable of dissolving other substances to create a solution.
Friction
A force that resists the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, or material elements sliding against each other.
Conduction
The transfer of thermal or electrical energy through direct contact between atoms or molecules within a substance.
Convection
The transfer of heat by the physical movement of a fluid (liquid or gas) caused by differences in temperature and density.
Radiation (Thermal)
The emission and propagation of heat energy through electromagnetic waves without the need for a physical medium.
Current (Electric)
The rate of flow of electric charge past a point or region in an electrical circuit, measured in amperes.
Voltage
The electric potential difference between two points, driving the flow of current through a circuit.
Resistance
A measure of the opposition to current flow in an electrical circuit, measured in ohms.
Magnetic Field
A vector field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials.
Greenhouse Effect
The trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation than to infrared radiation.