Science Glossary

Discoloration science experiment

Science is a very vast subject that has innumerable words, terms, definitions, etc. We have collected some scientific terms related to physics, chemistry, biology, etc. used in this website, compiled a glossary list, given them a short description, and can help you understand these difficult scientific terms and definitions at a glance.

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 A 
Absorb: Take in or soak up (energy, liquids, or other substances), usually gradually, through a chemical or physical action.

Acid: A kind of chemical base that tastes sour and can neutralise alkali, reacts strongly with metals, and has a pH below 7.

Alkali: A kind of chemical base that dissolves in water, can neutralise acids and has a PH above 7.


 B 
Balance: A state in which opposing forces harmonise.


 C 
Cell: The most basic building block of life. Cells are the smallest living' unit' that can survive on their own.

Center of gravity: The center of gravity is a geometric property of an object. The center of gravity is the average location of the weight of an object.

Centripetal force: The force that an object is subjected to in a circular motion. Pull the object toward the center of the circle without flying out in a straight line.

Charge: Particles with a positive or negative charge, for example, electrons, protons or ions.

Circuit: Path flooded with current in an electronic device. Circuits are usually made up of copper wires.

Condensation nucleus: A growth center of the crystal.

Condense: The process by which a substance changes from its gas state into its liquid state.

Conductor: A substance that can easily transmit electricity or heat.

Crystallization: The process of forming crystals. Crystallization is one way of separating a solid that has been dissolved in a liquid.


 D 
Distill: To remove any minerals and other impurities from liquid.


 E 
Electron: The electron is a negatively charged particle that spins around the outside of the atomic nucleus.

Evaporation: The process by which a substance changes from its liquid state into gas liquid. usually occurs at the surface of a liquid over a wide range of temperatures.


 F 
Freezing point: The temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid when cooled.

Friction: The resistance that an object receives as it moves against another object.


 G 
Gravity: Also called gravitation, is a natural phenomenon by which all things with mass or energy—including planets, stars, galaxies, and even light—are brought toward one another.


 L 
LED: An acronym of Light Emitting Diode, which is a type of semiconductor that converts the current energy into light energy.


 M 
Molecule: A group of atoms arranged together, being the smallest unit of a particular object.


 N 
Neutron: The neutron doesn't have any charge. The number of neutrons affects the mass and the radioactivity of the atom.

Nucleation: The process by which a new structure begins to form around a central area so that crystals are generated in a solution is called nucleation.

 P 
Photosynthesis: Photosynthesis a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy, that can later be released to fuel the organisms' activities.

Plumb line: A line directed to the center of gravity of the earth.

Polymer: A large molecule, or macromolecule formed by polymerizing long molecular chains, such as being elastic, viscous or hard.

Proton: The proton is a positively charged particle that is located at the center of the atom in the nucleus. The hydrogen atom is unique in that it only has a single proton and no neutron in its nucleus.


 R 
Refraction: When light enters another transparent substance from one substance, the light is bend. For example, between water and glass, the light travels in a different direction.

Refractive index: The ratio of the speed of light in air or vacuum to that in another medium.


 S 
Static electricity: An imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of an electric current or electrical discharge.

Sublimation: The process by which a substance changes directly from its solid state to its gas state without becoming a liquid first.

Supercooled water: Because of the lack of condensation nucleus in the water, the water remains liquid below 0 °C.

Supersaturation: A solution that contains more of the dissolved material than could be dissolved by the solvent under normal circumstances, usually temperature and pressure.

Surface Tension: The cohesive force exerted at the surface of a liquid that makes it tend to assume a spherical shape. Surface tension is related to the interactive forces between molecules of a liquid and is caused by the fact that molecules at the surface are not surrounded by molecules on all sides. Consequently, they interact more strongly with those directly adjacent to them on the surface.


 T 
Transpiration: The process by which plants inhale water from the roots and then release the water as steam through the leaves.