The answers to ACT Science Test questions come mostly from information in the passages, but every once in a while, you'll encounter a question that requires you to conjure up a scientific term or rule you learned in middle school.
Refresh your memory with this short glossary of science basics.
Scientific Term | Definition |
---|---|
Acceleration | The rate of change in velocity |
Allele | A gene variant |
Atom | A particle that contains protons, neutrons, and electrons and is the smallest part that can be involve in a chemical reaction |
Boiling point | The temperature when a liquid becomes a gas |
Buoyancy | The ability of an object to float |
Cell | The smallest independent element of an organism |
Charge | The either positive or negative amount of unbalanced energy |
Chemical reaction | The rearrangement of atoms to form new substances |
Chromosomes | The structure of nucleic acids and proteins that carries the genetic material in a cell |
Compound | A substance made up of more than one element |
Conduction | Heat transfer as a result of molecular interaction |
Constant | The elements of an experiment that are controlled to remain the same |
Control group | The group in an experiment that provides a standard for comparison because it doesn't receive the independent variable |
Convection | Heat transfer as a result of fluid movement |
Density | The mass per volume in a substance |
Dependent variable | The variable in an experiment that changes as a result of effect of the independent variable |
Elasticity | The ability of a substance to return to its original shape |
Electrons | Negatively charged atomic particles |
Element | A substance comprised of atoms with the same atomic number and cannot be split into smaller substances |
Fluid | A liquid or gas |
Gamete | A sex cell that carries the genes of both parents |
Gene | A section of DNA that determines inheritance |
Gravity | The force that attracts an object toward the center of the earth |
Hypothesis | The prediction of how the independent variable in an experiment will affect the dependent variable |
Independent variable | The variable controlled by the experimenter |
Inertia | The tendency of a body to remain at rest |
Ion | Atom with an unbalanced electrical charge due to a loss or gain of electrons |
Kinetic energy | The energy of a body in motion |
Mass | The quantity of a body's matter |
Molecule | A group of bonded atoms |
Neutrons | Particles with zero charge |
Nucleus | The part of the atom that contains protons and neutrons |
Potential energy | The amount of useable energy a body has when it's not moving |
Protons | Particles with a positive energy charge |
Radiation | Transfer of energy as waves or rays |
Reactants | The substances that participate in a chemical reaction |
Variables | The elements of an experiment that change or could change |
Velocity | The rate of change in distance with respect to time |