WGU C165 Integrated Physical Science Midterm Exam 2025

WGU C165 Integrated Physical Science Midterm Exam 2025 Physics - -the study of forces, energy, motion Chemistry - -study of atoms and molecules, their structures, and their interactions to form various substances. Earth Science - -Earth's structure and composition, as well as the processes that change Earth, such as volcanic and seismic activity. Astronomy - -The study of the moon, stars, and other objects in space Science - -An organized way of gathering and analyzing evidence about the natural world. Precision - -a measure of how close a series of measurements are to one another SI - -is a scientific method of expressing the magnitudes or quantities of important natural phenomena. There are seven base units in the system, from which other units are derived. Universal for comparing data. Physical science - -the sciences concerned with the study of inanimate natural objects, including physics, chemistry, astronomy, and related subjects. Life science - -the study of living things Controlled experiment - -An experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time. Or a condition that is being held constant Independent variable - -what is being changed Dependent variable - -what is being measured Control - -In an experiment, the standard that is used for comparison Observational experiment or study - -studies attempt to understand cause-and-effect relationships. However, unlike experiments, the researcher is not able to control (1) how subjects are assigned to groups and/or (2) which treatments each group receives. ... Therefore, a sample survey is an example of an observational study. Field study - -a research investigation carried out in a naturally occurring setting C165 WGU C165 WGU Laboratory study - -Research done in a laboratory Physical Model - -A physical representation of an object. Prototypes and appearance models are physical models. Conceptual model - -a verbal or graphical explanation for how a system works or is organized Mathematical model - -one or more equations that represent the way a system or process works Hypothesis - -A testable prediction, often implied by a theory Theory - -A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data. Explains why something happened. Law - -A law in science is a generalized rule to explain a body of observations in the form of a verbal or mathematical statement. Scientific laws (also known as natural laws) imply a cause and effect between the observed elements and must always apply under the same conditions. Explains how it happened not why. Observation - -Information obtained through the senses. Evidence - -proof Data - -Facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis Big Bang Theory - -Cosmological model that explains the sudden development of the universe through expansion from a hot, dense state. Plate tectonics - -A theory stating that the earth's surface is broken into plates that move. Atomic theory - -a theory that states that all matter is composed of tiny particles called atoms. Gram - -a metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a kilogram. Meter - -The meter is the basic unit of length in the SI system of units. ... The previous definition of the meter was one ten-millionth of the distance from the geographic north pole to the equator, measured over the earth's surface in a circle running through Paris, France. Second - -SI base unit for time C165 WGU C165 WGU Celsius - -Metric unit for measuring temperature; On this scale water freezes at zero and boils at 100. Kelvin - -The SI base unit of temperature Liter - -Basic unit of volume in the metric system Metric Prefixes - -Giga, Mega, Kilo, deci, centi, milli, micro, nano Derived unit - -A unit defined by a combination of base units Direct relationship - -a relationship in which one variable increases with an increase in another variable Inverse relationship - -a relationship in which one variable decreases when another variable increases Speed - -The distance an object travels per unit of time Velocity - -Speed in a given direction Acceleration - -the rate at which velocity changes over time; an object accelerates if its speed, direction, or both change Distance - -The length of a path between two points Displacement - -Distance and direction of an object's change in position from the starting point. Balance force - -Equal forces acting on one object in opposite direction. These forces then give a 0 net force, causing the object to stay in place. Unequal force - -unbalanced forces cause a change in motion; speed. And/or direction. When two forces act in the same direction on an object, the net force is. Equal to the sum of the two forces. When two unequal forces act in opposite directions. Net force - -The combination of all forces acting on an object Newton's First Law - -An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. Mass - -the amount of matter in an object Inertia - -The tendency of an object to resist a change in motion C165 WGU C165 WGU Newton's Second Law - -Force equals mass times acceleration Newton's Third Law - -For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction Friction - -A force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are in contact Gravity - -Gravity is the force by which a planet or other body draws objects toward its center. The force of gravity keeps all of the planets in orbit around the sun. Gravitational force - -an attractive force that acts between any two objects Momentum - -the force or speed with which something moves Law of conservation of momentum - -One of the most powerful laws in physics is the law of momentum conservation. ... For a collision occurring between object 1 and object 2 in an isolated system, the total momentum of the two objects before the collision is equal to the total momentum of the two objects after the collision. Work - -Force exerted on an object that causes it to move Energy - -the ability to do work Potential energy - -Energy that is stored and held in readiness Kinetic energy - -the energy an object has due to its motion Gravitational potential energy - -Energy stored by objects due to their position above Earth's surface. Chemical potential energy - -the energy stored in the chemical bonds of a substance Elastic potential energy - -the energy of stretched or compressed objects Electrical energy - -The energy of electric charges Electromagnetic energy - -Electromagnetic energy is a term used to describe all the different kinds of energies released into space by stars such as the Sun. These kinds of energies include some that you will recognize and some that will sound strange Thermal energy - -Heat energy Law of Conservation of Energy - -the law that states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can be changed from one form to another Wave - -A disturbance that transfers energy from place to place C165 WGU C165 WGU Oscillation - -the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm Equilibrium - -A state of balance Medium - -The material through which a wave travels is called a Gases (air), liquids, solids Mechanical wave - -A wave that requires a medium through which to travel Electromagnetic waves - -A form of energy that can move through the vacuum of space. Transverse wave - -A wave that moves the medium in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the wave travels Longitudinal wave - -A wave in which the vibration of the medium is parallel to the direction the wave travels. Compressed Compression - -The part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are close together. Expansion - -an increase in the volume of a substance while its mass remains the same. Expansion is usually due to heating. When substances are heated, the molecular bonds between their particles are weakened, and the particles move faster, causing the substance to expand. Rarefaction - -The part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are far apart Wavelength - -The distance between two corresponding parts of a wave Frequency - -the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time Amplitude - -the height of a wave's crest or how intense Crest - -Highest point of a wave (peak) Trough - -lowest point of a wavelength Period of a wave - -Time for one complete waveform to travel Electromagnetic spectrum - -All of the frequencies or wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation Radio waves - -Electromagnetic waves with the longest wavelengths and lowest frequencies C165 WGU C165 WGU Microwave - -very short electromagnetic wave; microwave oven (oven that cooks quickly by using microwaves) Infrared - -Electromagnetic waves of frequencies lower than the red of visible light. Visable light - -portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Ultraviolet light - -Electromagnetic radiation of several wavelengths is used to control microbial growth X-ray - -A form of energy that travels in waves that can pass through some living tissue, but not through bone. Gamma rays - -Electromagnetic waves with the shortest wavelengths and highest frequencies Pitch - -a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency Loudness - -A physical response to the intensity of sound, modified by physical factors Matter - -Anything that has mass and takes up space Atom - -Basic unit of matter Proton - -Practical that carries a positive charge Neutron - -A small particle in the nucleus of the atom, with no electrical charge Electron - -A subatomic particle that has a negative charge Electron cloud - -a region around the nucleus of an atom where electrons are likely to be found Valence electrons - -Electrons on the outermost energy level of an atom Element - -A pure substance made of only one kind of atom Atomic number - -the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom Atomic symbol - -An abbreviation for an element or atom Compound - -A substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds Chemical bond - -the force that holds two atoms together C165 WGU C165 WGU Molecule - -A group of atoms bonded together Chemical - -any substance that has a definite composition Organic compounds - -compounds that contain carbon and hydrogen Pure substance - -A sample of matter, either a single element or a single compound, that has definite chemical and physical properties Mixture - -A combination of two or more substances that are not chemically combined Heterogeneous mixture - -A mixture in which different materials can be distinguished easily Homogeneous mixture - -A mixture in which substances are evenly distributed throughout the mixture Alloy - -A mixture of two or more metals Soild - -A state of matter that has a definite shape and volume Liquid - -A state of matter that has no definite shape but has a definite volume Gas - -A state of matter with no definite shape or volume Physical change - -A change in a substance that does not involve a change in the identity of the substance Chemical change - -A change in matter that produces one or more new substances Chemical reaction - -the process by which one or more substances change to produce one or more different substances Ion - -A charged atom Ionic bonds - -Formed when one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another Convalent bond - -A chemical bond formed when when atoms share electrons Metallic bond - -a bond formed by the attraction between positively charged metal ions and the electrons around them Periodic table - -A chart of the elements showing the repeating pattern of their properties C165 WGU Metals - -Elements that are good conductors of electric current and heat. Nonmetals - -Elements that are poor conductors of heat and electric current Metalloids - -Elements that have properties of both metals and nonmetals. Conductive - -supportive; encouraging; helping to bring about Malleable - -capable of being shaped Ductile - -A term used to describe a material that can be pulled out into a long wire. Law of Conservation of Matter - -Matter is not created nor destroyed in any chemical or physical change Chemical equation - -A representation of a chemical reaction that uses symbols to show the relationship between the reactants and the products Balanced chemical equation - -chemical equation with the same number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation Coefficient - -A number in front of a chemical formula in an equation that