C165 Final Exam Study Guide for Intro to Physical Science | Accurate & Verified Answers to
Pass Actual Exam
Intro to Physical Sciences
Key Terms:
●Physics - study of forces, energy, and motion
●Chemistry - Study of atoms and molecules
●Earth Science - Focuses on earth’s structure and composition, as well as the
processes that change earth
●Chemistry - the study of properties and interactions of substances
●Atoms - make up all living and nonliving things
●Molecules - made up of small atom particles that bond together
●Variables: the changing quantities in an experiment
●Physical Model - a good model explains current observations and predicts new
ones
●Conceptual Models - used to visualize things that cannot be seen , such as
atoms
●Mathematical Model - treat physical objects or phenomena using mathematical
methods
●Principle of falsification - only falsifiable statements can be subject to scientific
inquiry
●Hypothesis - a testable statement about how something in nature works
●Law - a concise statement that is supported by scientific evidence and repeated
experiments and describes a widespread pattern in nature
●Theory - a statement that explains a wide range of observations and that is
supported by a large body of scientific evidence
●Big bang theory - describes how the universe developed
●Field Study - observational studies done outside a laboratory setting
●Density - depends on the material itself, not on the object’s size or mass
●Speed - the distance traveled per interval
●Volume - the amount of space an object occupies
●Direct relationship - exists when an increase of one variable results in an
increase in the other/a decrease in one variable results in a decrease in the
other
●Inverse Relationship - when one increased the other decreases/one decreased
the other increases
●Speed - how fast an object is moving
●Velocity - speed and direction
●Acceleration - a change in an objects velocity
●Force - a push or a pull on an object
●Balanced Forces - forces that combine to produce a net force of zero
●Newton’s First Law - the net force on an object is the cause of its acceleration
,●Inertia - The tendency to keep the same motion
●Newton’s Third Law - whenever one object exerts a force on a second object,
the second object exerts a force of the same magnitude in the opposite direction
on the first object
●Friction - the force that opposes the motion of an object on which it acts
●Gravity - an attractive force that pulls objects closer together
●Static (Stationary) Friction - occurs between two objects that are touching each
other but not moving against each other
●Kinetic (Moving) Friction - the force of friction between two objects that are
moving against each other
●Linear Momentum - the mass of an object times its velocity
●Elasticity - the amount of bounce that an object has after a collision
●Work - the displacement of an object in the direction of an applied force
●Energy - the capacity to do work or to cause change
●Kinetic Energy - energy objects have because they are moving
●Potential Energy - energy that is stored
●Gravitational Potential Energy - energy that an object has due to its height
above the ground
●Chemical Potential Energy - energy that is stored in the chemical bonds in a
substance
●Elastic Potential Energy - energy that is stored in stretched springs, rubber
bands, and similar objects
●Electrical Energy - energy that is carried by moving charged particles, such as
electrons.
●Electromagnetic Energy (light energy) - energy that is carried by
electromagnetic waves
●Thermal Energy - produced by the motions of atoms and molecules
●Law of Conservation of Energy - energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can
only be transferred or converted from one form to another
●Oscillation - a repetitive motion that usually occurs about a center point or
equilibrium
●Equilibrium - a position or state to which an oscillating object eventually
returns after a disturbance is gone
●Mechanical Waves - can only travel through matter and require a medium to
transport their energy
●Crest - the highest point reached by a particle
●Trough - the lowest point reached by a particle
●Amplitude (Transverse) - the vertical distance from the equilibrium to the crest
or trough
, ●Amplitude (Longitudinal) - the measure of how compressed or expanded the
medium becomes
●Wavelength - the horizontal distance after which the wave repeats itself in
space
●Period - the time needed for one oscillation
●Frequency - tells you the number of oscillations the wave makes in a given
amount of time
●Visible Light - all of the wavelengths of light that the average unaided human
eye can detect
●Radio Waves - waves with the longest wavelength, the lowest frequencies, and
lowest energies of all types of EM radiation
●Microwaves - waves with higher frequencies and energies than radio waves but
lower than those of infrared radiation
●Infrared (IR) - waves with higher frequencies than those of microwaves but
lower than those of visible light
●Ultraviolet (UV) - waves with wavelengths that are just shorter than those of
visible light but longer than those of X-rays; UV wavelengths are comparable to
the size of molecules
●X-rays: waves with wavelengths that are shorter than UV rays but longer than
gamma rays; X-rays have higher frequencies and higher energies than UV
●Gamma Rays - waves with the shortest wavelengths and the highest
frequencies and energies of all EM radiation
●Loudness - the energy of a sound wave; the greater the energy of the wave, the
greater its amplitude and, therefore, the louder the sound
●Pitch - how high or low a sound is
●Matter - anything that takes up space and has mass
●Atom - the basic building block of matter
●Proton - positive
●Electron - negative
●Neutron - neutral
●Valence Electrons - electrons that occupy the outermost regions, those farthest
from the nucleus, of an atom
●Organic Compound - a compound that contains carbon and hydrogen
●Chemical bond - an attractive force that holds atoms together
●Compound - a chemical that contains at least two different types of atoms in a
fixed ratio
●Chemical - any substance that has a definite, fixed chemical composition
●Element - a substance that is composed of a single type of atom
●Atomic Number - the number of protons for an atom of a given element
●Pure Substance - contains only one type of element or compound
Pass Actual Exam
Intro to Physical Sciences
Key Terms:
●Physics - study of forces, energy, and motion
●Chemistry - Study of atoms and molecules
●Earth Science - Focuses on earth’s structure and composition, as well as the
processes that change earth
●Chemistry - the study of properties and interactions of substances
●Atoms - make up all living and nonliving things
●Molecules - made up of small atom particles that bond together
●Variables: the changing quantities in an experiment
●Physical Model - a good model explains current observations and predicts new
ones
●Conceptual Models - used to visualize things that cannot be seen , such as
atoms
●Mathematical Model - treat physical objects or phenomena using mathematical
methods
●Principle of falsification - only falsifiable statements can be subject to scientific
inquiry
●Hypothesis - a testable statement about how something in nature works
●Law - a concise statement that is supported by scientific evidence and repeated
experiments and describes a widespread pattern in nature
●Theory - a statement that explains a wide range of observations and that is
supported by a large body of scientific evidence
●Big bang theory - describes how the universe developed
●Field Study - observational studies done outside a laboratory setting
●Density - depends on the material itself, not on the object’s size or mass
●Speed - the distance traveled per interval
●Volume - the amount of space an object occupies
●Direct relationship - exists when an increase of one variable results in an
increase in the other/a decrease in one variable results in a decrease in the
other
●Inverse Relationship - when one increased the other decreases/one decreased
the other increases
●Speed - how fast an object is moving
●Velocity - speed and direction
●Acceleration - a change in an objects velocity
●Force - a push or a pull on an object
●Balanced Forces - forces that combine to produce a net force of zero
●Newton’s First Law - the net force on an object is the cause of its acceleration
,●Inertia - The tendency to keep the same motion
●Newton’s Third Law - whenever one object exerts a force on a second object,
the second object exerts a force of the same magnitude in the opposite direction
on the first object
●Friction - the force that opposes the motion of an object on which it acts
●Gravity - an attractive force that pulls objects closer together
●Static (Stationary) Friction - occurs between two objects that are touching each
other but not moving against each other
●Kinetic (Moving) Friction - the force of friction between two objects that are
moving against each other
●Linear Momentum - the mass of an object times its velocity
●Elasticity - the amount of bounce that an object has after a collision
●Work - the displacement of an object in the direction of an applied force
●Energy - the capacity to do work or to cause change
●Kinetic Energy - energy objects have because they are moving
●Potential Energy - energy that is stored
●Gravitational Potential Energy - energy that an object has due to its height
above the ground
●Chemical Potential Energy - energy that is stored in the chemical bonds in a
substance
●Elastic Potential Energy - energy that is stored in stretched springs, rubber
bands, and similar objects
●Electrical Energy - energy that is carried by moving charged particles, such as
electrons.
●Electromagnetic Energy (light energy) - energy that is carried by
electromagnetic waves
●Thermal Energy - produced by the motions of atoms and molecules
●Law of Conservation of Energy - energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can
only be transferred or converted from one form to another
●Oscillation - a repetitive motion that usually occurs about a center point or
equilibrium
●Equilibrium - a position or state to which an oscillating object eventually
returns after a disturbance is gone
●Mechanical Waves - can only travel through matter and require a medium to
transport their energy
●Crest - the highest point reached by a particle
●Trough - the lowest point reached by a particle
●Amplitude (Transverse) - the vertical distance from the equilibrium to the crest
or trough
, ●Amplitude (Longitudinal) - the measure of how compressed or expanded the
medium becomes
●Wavelength - the horizontal distance after which the wave repeats itself in
space
●Period - the time needed for one oscillation
●Frequency - tells you the number of oscillations the wave makes in a given
amount of time
●Visible Light - all of the wavelengths of light that the average unaided human
eye can detect
●Radio Waves - waves with the longest wavelength, the lowest frequencies, and
lowest energies of all types of EM radiation
●Microwaves - waves with higher frequencies and energies than radio waves but
lower than those of infrared radiation
●Infrared (IR) - waves with higher frequencies than those of microwaves but
lower than those of visible light
●Ultraviolet (UV) - waves with wavelengths that are just shorter than those of
visible light but longer than those of X-rays; UV wavelengths are comparable to
the size of molecules
●X-rays: waves with wavelengths that are shorter than UV rays but longer than
gamma rays; X-rays have higher frequencies and higher energies than UV
●Gamma Rays - waves with the shortest wavelengths and the highest
frequencies and energies of all EM radiation
●Loudness - the energy of a sound wave; the greater the energy of the wave, the
greater its amplitude and, therefore, the louder the sound
●Pitch - how high or low a sound is
●Matter - anything that takes up space and has mass
●Atom - the basic building block of matter
●Proton - positive
●Electron - negative
●Neutron - neutral
●Valence Electrons - electrons that occupy the outermost regions, those farthest
from the nucleus, of an atom
●Organic Compound - a compound that contains carbon and hydrogen
●Chemical bond - an attractive force that holds atoms together
●Compound - a chemical that contains at least two different types of atoms in a
fixed ratio
●Chemical - any substance that has a definite, fixed chemical composition
●Element - a substance that is composed of a single type of atom
●Atomic Number - the number of protons for an atom of a given element
●Pure Substance - contains only one type of element or compound
