Science & Space
Knowledge · 171 words
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171 words
- acceleration/əkˌsɛl.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/noun · B2+The rate at which speed increases.
- acid/ˈæsɪd/noun · B2A sour substance that turns litmus red and eats metal.
- algebra/ˈæl.dʒɪ.bɹə/noun · B2+The mathematics where letters stand in for unknown numbers.
- alkali/ˈæl.kəˌlaɪ/noun · B2+A substance that neutralises acid and feels soapy.
- angle/ˈæŋ.ɡəl/noun · B2The space between two lines that meet, measured in degrees.
- antibody/ˈæn.tiˌbɒd.i/noun · B2+One of the tiny defenders your blood builds against an invader.
- apparatus/ˌæp.əˈɹeɪ.təs/noun · B2+The set of equipment an experiment needs.
- asteroid/ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/noun · B2One of the countless rocky lumps drifting through space between the planets.
- astronaut/ˈæstɹəˌnɔːt/noun · B1A person who travels into space in a rocket.
- atmosphere/ˈætməsˌfɪə/noun · B1The blanket of gas held around a world.
- atom/ˈætəm/noun · B2+The tiniest building block that everything is made of.
- bacteria/bakˈtɪə̯.ri.ə/noun · B2Tiny living things everywhere around and inside us — some helpful, some not.
- bacterium/bækˈtɪəɹ.ɪəm/noun · B2+One single-celled living thing without a nucleus.
- barometer/bəˈɹɒm.ɪ.tə(ɹ)/noun · B2+The instrument that measures air pressure to predict weather.
- beaker/ˈbiːkə(ɹ)/noun · B2+A straight-sided glass cup with a lip for pouring.
- black hole/blæk ˈhoʊl/phrase · B2The collapsed star whose pull not even light escapes.
- breakthrough/ˈbɹeɪk.θɹuː/noun · C1A sudden great discovery that changes everything after it.
- carbon footprintnoun · B2The total warming gas one person or thing causes.
- catalyst/ˈkæt.ɪ.lɪst/noun · B2+The substance that speeds a reaction without being used up — or the person who sparks change.
- cell/sɛl/noun · B1The smallest living building block of every plant and animal.
- centrifuge/ˈsɛntɹɪˌfjuːdʒ/noun · C1A machine that spins samples fast to separate them.
- chemical/ˈkɛm.ɪ.kəl/noun · B1A pure material made or studied in laboratories.
- chromosome/ˈkɹəʊ.məˌsəʊm/noun · B2+One of the tiny thread packages your genes are bundled into.
- circuit/ˈsɜː.kɪt/noun · B2The complete loop electricity must travel to make anything work.
- climate/ˈklaɪ.mɪt/noun · B1+The usual weather of a place measured over many years.
- combustion/kəmˈbʌs.t͡ʃən/noun · B2+Burning: a fast reaction with oxygen giving out heat.
- comet/ˈkɒmɪt/noun · B1+The dirty snowball of space that grows a glowing tail near the sun.
- compound/ˈkɒmpaʊnd/noun · B2A substance built from two or more elements joined together.
- conclusion/kənˈkluːʒən/noun · B1What the results finally show.
- condensation/ˌkɒn.dɛnˈseɪ.ʃən/noun · B2+Gas turning back to liquid, like breath fogging a cold window.
- conductor/kənˈdʌktɚ/noun · B2The person who stands before an orchestra waving a little stick.
- constellation/ˌkɒn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/noun · B2+A named picture the stars seem to draw in the night sky.
- control groupnoun · B2The group that gets no treatment, for comparison.
- crystal/ˈkɹɪstəl/noun · B1A solid whose atoms line up in beautiful repeating shapes.
- current/ˈkʌɹənt/noun · B2The flow of electric power through a wire; also, moving water in a river.
- data/ˈdɑːtə/noun · B1Information stored in numbers that computers collect and study.
- degree/dɪˈɡɹiː/noun · B1One unit of temperature — water boils at one hundred of them.
- density/ˈdɛn.sɪ.ti/noun · C1How much matter is packed into a given space.
- diameter/daɪˈæmɪtə(ɹ)/noun · B2+The straight line across a circle through its very center.
- discovery/dɪˈskʌv.ɹi/noun · A2+The finding of something important nobody knew before.
- dnanoun · B2The twisted ladder molecule that carries the recipe for you.
- earth/ɜːθ/noun · A1The blue planet we all live on.
- echo/ˈɛk.əʊ/noun · B2Your own shout coming back to you from a wall or a mountain.
- eclipse/ɪˈklɪps/noun · B2When the moon hides the sun, and day goes briefly dark.
- ecosystem/ˈiːkəʊˌsɪstəm/noun · B2+A community of living things and their home, working as one system.
- electricity/ˌiːlɛkˈtɹɪsɪti/noun · A2+The invisible force in wires that lights lamps and runs machines.
- electron/ɪˈlɛk.tɹɒn/noun · B2+The tiny negative particle circling the center of every atom.
- element/ˈɛlɪmənt/noun · B1+One of the pure basic substances on the famous numbered table.
- embryo/ˈɛmbɹi.əʊ/noun · B2+A living thing at its very first stage, before birth or hatching.
- emission/ɪˈmɪʃ.ən/noun · B2+The gases sent up into the air by engines and factories.
- energy/ˈɛnəd͡ʒi/noun · A2The power that makes everything move, shine, and heat up.
- enzyme/ˈɛn.zaɪm/noun · B2+One of the body's tiny worker molecules that speed every process.
- equation/ɪˈkweɪ.ʒən/noun · C1A mathematical statement with an equals sign balancing two sides.
- equator/ɪˈkweɪ.tə/noun · B1+The imaginary line around Earth's middle, halfway between the poles.
- erosion/ɪˈɹəʊʒən/noun · B2+The slow eating away of land by wind and water.
- evaporation/ɪˌvæpəˈɹeɪʃən/noun · B2+Liquid quietly turning to gas, the way puddles vanish in the sun.
- evidence/ˈɛv.ɪ.dəns/noun · A2+The facts and objects that show what really happened.
- evolution/ˌiːvəˈluːʃ(ə)n/noun · B2The slow change of living things across millions of years.
- experiment/ɪkˈspɛɹ.ɪ.mənt/noun · A2+A careful test done to find out if an idea is true.
- fission/ˈfɪʃən/noun · C1Splitting a heavy nucleus to release energy.
- formula/ˈfɔː.mjʊ.lə/noun · B1+A rule written in symbols and numbers, like E=mc².
- fossil/ˈfɒsl̩/noun · B1+The stone remains of a creature that lived millions of years ago.
- fraction/ˈfɹæk.ʃən/noun · B2A number written as one value over another, like one half.
- frequency/ˈfɹiːkwənsi/noun · B2How many times per second a wave repeats.
- friction/ˈfɹɪkʃən/noun · B2The rubbing force that slows sliding things and warms your hands.
- fusion/ˈfjuː.ʒən/noun · C1Joining light nuclei to release energy, as the sun does.
- galaxy/ˈɡæl.ək.si/noun · B1A spinning island of billions of stars — we live in the Milky Way.
- gas/ɡæs/noun · A2The state of matter with no shape at all, like the air around you.
- gene/d͡ʒiːn/noun · B2One tiny instruction inside you, inherited from your parents.
- geometry/d͡ʒiːˈɒm.ɪ.tɹi/noun · B2+The mathematics of shapes, lines, and angles.
- gravity/ˈɡɹævɪti/noun · B2The invisible force that pulls everything down toward the ground.
- gravity assist/ˈɡɹævɪti əˈsɪst/noun · C2Using a planet's pull to fling a craft faster.
- gravity wellnoun · C2The dip in space around a heavy body that is hard to climb out of.
- greenhouse gas/ˌɡɹiːn.haʊs ˈɡæs/noun · B2A gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.
- habitat/ˈhæb.ɪ.tæt/noun · B2The natural home where a creature belongs.
- height/haɪt/noun · A2+How tall something is, from bottom to top.
- hemisphere/ˈhɛmɪsfɪə/noun · B1+One half of the Earth — northern or southern.
- hormone/ˈhɔːməʊn/noun · B2+One of the chemical messengers traveling in your blood.
- humidity/hjuːˈmɪd.ə.ti/noun · B1+How much invisible water the air is carrying.
- hypothesis/haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/noun · B2+A scientist's educated guess, waiting to be tested.
- inertia/ɪnˈɜː.ʃə/noun · C1The refusal of matter to change how it is moving.
- insulator/ˈɪn.s(j)ə.leɪ.tə(ɹ)/noun · B2+A material that will not let electricity pass.
- isotope/ˈaɪ.sə.təʊp/noun · C1A version of an element with a different number of neutrons.
- laboratory/ləˈbɒɹət(ə)ɹi/noun · B1The special room full of instruments where scientists test things.
- laser/ˈleɪz.ə(ɹ)/noun · B1A thin powerful beam of pure light that can cut steel.
- latitude/ˈlætɪtjuːd/noun · B2+Position measured in degrees north or south of the middle line.
- launch pad/ˈlɔːntʃ.pæd/noun · B2The platform a rocket lifts off from.
- law/lɔː/noun · A2One of the official rules of a country that everyone must follow.
- length/lɛŋ(k)θ/noun · B1How long something is, from end to end.
- lens/lɛnz/noun · B2The curved glass that bends light in glasses, cameras, and eyes.
- light year/ˈlaɪt.jɪə/noun · B2The distance light travels in one year.
- liquid/ˈlɪk.wɪd/noun · B1Anything that flows and takes the shape of its container, like water.
- longitude/ˈlɒnd͡ʒɪtʃuːd/noun · B2+Position measured in degrees east or west of Greenwich.
- magnet/ˈmæɡ.nɪt/noun · B1The piece of metal that pulls iron things toward itself.
- magnetism/ˈmæɡ.nəˌtɪz.əm/noun · C1The invisible pulling force of certain metals.
- magnitude/ˈmæɡnɪtjuːd/noun · C1A number saying how big something is, especially a quake.
- mass/mæs/noun · B2How much matter a thing is made of.
- measurement/ˈmɛʒ.ə.mənt/noun · B2The exact size or amount found by careful checking.
- metal/ˈmɛ.təl/noun · A2The hard shiny material that coins, keys, and knives are made of.
- meteor/ˈmiːtɪ.ə/noun · B2The streak of light when a space rock burns up in our sky.
- microscope/ˈmaɪ.kɹəˌskəʊp/noun · B2The instrument that makes invisibly small things look big.
- mind/maɪnd/noun · A1The thinking, feeling, remembering part of you.
- mineral/ˈmɪn.ə.ɹəl/noun · B2A natural solid substance dug from the earth, like quartz or salt.
- mineral depositnoun · B2A useful substance concentrated in the ground.
- mixture/ˈmɪkstʃə/noun · B1+Substances stirred together without joining chemically.
- molecule/ˈmɒl.ɪ.kjuːl/noun · B1+A tiny group of atoms joined together — water is a famous one.
- momentum/ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/noun · C1The moving power a thing carries — mass times speed.
- mutation/mjuˈteɪʃən/noun · B2+A random change in the genetic recipe, sometimes useful, sometimes not.
- nebula/ˈnɛb.jə.lə/noun · C1A glowing cloud of gas and dust where new stars are born.
- neuron/ˈn(j)ʊɹɑn/noun · B2+A single nerve cell carrying signals through the brain.
- neutron/ˈn(j)uː.tɹɒn/noun · B1+A particle with no charge, sitting beside the protons.
- nuclear/ˈn(j)u.kli.ɚ/adjective · B1+Using the enormous power locked inside atoms.
- nucleus/ˈnjuː.kli.əs/noun · B2+The dense centre of an atom, or the control room of a cell.
- observatory/əbˈzɜːvət(ə)ɹi/noun · B2A building from which the sky is studied.
- orbit/ˈɔː.bɪt/noun · B1+The endless circular path one body travels around another in space.
- orbiternoun · C1A craft that circles a world rather than landing on it.
- organism/ˈɔː.ɡə.nɪ.zəm/noun · B2Any single living thing, from a microbe to a whale.
- oxidation/ɒksɪˈdeɪʃ(ə)n/noun · B2+The slow reaction with oxygen that rusts iron and browns apples.
- oxygen/ˈɒksɪd͡ʒən/noun · B1The gas in the air that every breath takes in and every fire needs.
- particle/ˈpɑːtɪkl̩/noun · B2+A piece of matter far too small for any eye to see.
- peer reviewnoun · C1The checking of a study by other experts before it is published.
- pendulum/ˈpɛnd͡ʒʊləm/noun · C1A hanging weight that swings steadily, as in old clocks.
- photosynthesis/ˌfəʊ.təʊˈsɪn.θə.sɪs/noun · B2+The trick by which green leaves turn sunlight into food.
- pipette/pɪˈpɛt/noun · B2+A thin tube that measures out tiny amounts of liquid.
- planet/ˈplænɪt/noun · A2A huge round world circling a star — ours is the third from the sun.
- pollutant/pəˈl(j)uːtənt/noun · B2+A substance that dirties air, water or soil.
- pressure/ˈpɹɛʃə/noun · A2The pushing force spread over a surface — of air, water, or stress.
- prism/ˈpɹɪz(ə)m/noun · B2+The glass triangle that splits white light into its colors.
- probe/pɹəʊb/verb · C1To investigate deeply with questions or instruments.
- proton/ˈpɹəʊ.tɒn/noun · B1+A positive particle in the middle of an atom.
- quantum/ˈkwɒntəm/adjective · C1Belonging to the strange physics of the very smallest things.
- radiation/ˌɹeɪ.diˈeɪ.ʃən/noun · B2Invisible energy rays, some useful in hospitals and some deadly.
- radius/ˈɹeɪ.di.əs/noun · B2The line from a circle's center to its edge — half the width.
- reaction/ɹiˈækʃən/noun · B1The change when two substances meet and become something new.
- renewable/ɹɪˈnjuː.ə.bl̩/adjective · B1+Coming from sources that never run out — sun, wind, and water.
- research/ˈɹiːsɜːt͡ʃ/noun · A2+Long careful study done to learn new facts.
- resistance/ɹɪˈzɪstəns/noun · C1How strongly a material fights the flow of electricity.
- respiration/ɹɛspɪˈɹeɪʃən/noun · B2+How living things release energy from food.
- rocket/ˈɹɒk.ɪt/noun · B1The fire-tailed machine that carries people and satellites into space.
- rover/ˈɹəʊvə/noun · B2A wheeled robot driven across another world's surface.
- satellite/ˈsætəlaɪ̯t/noun · B2A machine circling high above the planet, relaying signals and photos.
- science/ˈsaɪ.əns/noun · A1The careful study of how the world really works.
- scientific/ˌsaɪ.ənˈtɪf.ɪk/adjective · B1Based on careful testing and evidence, not on guessing.
- sediment/ˈsɛd.ɪ.mənt/noun · C1The fine material that settles at the bottom of rivers and lakes.
- seismic/ˈsaɪzmɪk/adjective · C2Having to do with the shaking of the ground.
- solar/ˈsəʊ.lə/adjective · B2Coming from or belonging to the sun.
- solar system/ˈsəʊl.ə ˌsɪs.təm/noun · B1A star and everything held by its gravity.
- solution/səˈl(j)uːʃən/noun · B2A liquid with something completely dissolved in it, like salt in water.
- solvent/ˈsɒlvənt/noun · B2+The liquid that does the dissolving.
- space/speɪs/noun · A1The endless black emptiness beyond the sky, where the stars live.
- spacecraft/ˈspeɪsˌkɹæft/noun · B1+A vehicle built to travel outside the atmosphere.
- species/ˈspiːʃiːz/noun · B1One particular kind of living thing — lions are one, tigers another.
- specimen/ˈspɛsɪmɪn/noun · C1One example collected for careful study in a laboratory.
- spectrum/ˈspɛktɹəm/noun · C1The full rainbow of light spread out from red to violet — or any full range.
- speed/spiːd/noun · A2How fast something moves.
- steam/stiːm/noun · A2The hot white cloud that rises from boiling water.
- supernova/ˌsuː.pə(ɹ)ˈnəʊ.və/noun · C1The colossal explosion of a dying star.
- sustainable/səˈsteɪnəbəl/adjective · B2+Able to continue without using the world up.
- tectonic platenoun · B2One of the vast slabs the surface of the earth is broken into.
- telescope/ˈtɛl.ɪ.skəʊp/noun · B2The long instrument that makes far stars look close.
- telescope arraynoun · C1Many dishes working together as one huge instrument.
- theory/ˈθɪə.ɹi/noun · B1A well-tested explanation of why things happen the way they do.
- tissue/ˈtɪs.juː/noun · A2The soft paper square you blow your nose into.
- universe/ˈjuːnɪˌvɜːs/noun · B1Absolutely everything that exists, from here to the farthest star.
- vaccine/vækˈsin/noun · B2An injection that teaches your body to fight an illness before you catch it.
- variable[ˈvɛə.ɹi.ə.bl̩]noun · B2+Anything in an experiment that can be changed or measured.
- velocity/vəˈlɒsəti/noun · B2+Speed in a stated direction.
- voltage/ˈvəʊltɪd͡ʒ/noun · B2+The electrical pressure pushing power through a wire.
- volume/ˈvɒl.juːm/noun · B2How loud the sound is — turn it up or down.
- wavelength/ˈweɪvlɛŋ(k)θ/noun · B2+The distance from one wave's crest to the next.
- weight/weɪt/noun · A2How heavy something is.