Lion
Science
Scientia non habet inimicum
nisp ignorantem |
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Northwest High School
Jefferson County,
MO |
Curriculum
Glossary, F - G Terms are linked to a related page in the curriculum.
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Facilitator
- Someone who makes things run smoothly. Factor
label - A unit conversion process. Facultative
anaerobes - Bacteria that can live with or without
atmospheric oxygen. Fahrenheit
- The temperature scale in every-day use in the United States.
Family
of elements - A group of elements with similar
characteristics, usually determined by the number of electrons in
the outer electron energy level. Faraday's
Laws - Two laws related to electrolysis reactions.
Farsighted
- The eyeball is too thin, causing the image to focus behind the
retina; a person can see distant objects clearly, but has
difficulty with near objects. Fatty
acid - An unbranched carbon chain with the carboxyl group
at one end that combines to make lipids. Feathers
- Provide insulation and lift for flight in birds. Fermentation
- The breaking down of pyruvic acid without using molecular
oxygen. Fermions
- A group of subatomic particles including quarks and leptons.
Ferns
- Vascular plants that reproduce sexually by forming spores, not
seeds. Fertilization
- The joining of sperm and egg in sexual reproduction. Fetus
- An embryo developed to the point that it begins to resemble the
mature organism. Fiber
optics - The transfer of light through long, thin,
flexible optical fibers by total internal reflection. Fibrinogen
- A soluble protein in blood that reacts with thrombin to form
fibrin for clotting. Fire
blanket - A fire-resistant blanket used to extinguish
buring clothing. Fire
extinguisher - A portable device used to put out small
fires. Fission
- A nuclear reaction in which a very heavy nucleus is split into
fragments. Flagella
- Long protein structures that turn to propel some single-cell
organisms. Flammable
- A substance that is easily ignited and continues to burn after
the source of ignition is removed. Flash
Point - The minimum temperature at which a substance
produces enough vapor to be ignited. Flask
- One of several types of pear-shaped pieces of glassware used to
contain chemical reactions in the lab. Fleshy
fruit - A fruit with soft, usually moist walls. Flicker-fusion
- The number of frames per second at which sequential images are
no longer seen as separate. Floral
formula - A way of representing the structure of a flower
using letters, numbers, and symbols. Flower
- A plant organ of sexual reproduction. Fluorescent
light - Electricity causes phosphors inside a glass tube
to glow.
Fluid - Any substance that flows; liquids and gases.
Fluid Friction - Frictional forces between two fluids or a fluid and a solid.
Focal point - The point at which light rays come together after
passing through a convex lens.
Follicle - A dry fruit with 1 carpel that splits along only one side when ripe.
Food chain - The specific sequence in which organisms obtain energy within an ecosystem.
Food
web - Interrelated food chains within an ecosystem.
Forb - Herbaceous flowering plants with broad leaves.
Force - Any push or pull which causes motion.
Forces of nature - The four forces known to operate between elementary particles.
Formula mass - The sum of all the atomic masses in a chemical
formula.
Fosssil - Any trace of a long-dead organism.
Fosssil fuel - Fuel made from the remains of long-dead organisms.
Frame-shift mutation - The addition or deletion of a nitrogen base, causing the gene sequence to read out of order.
Frasch process - The physical process used to mine sulfur.
Fraternal twins - Formed from two egg cells fertilized by two sperm
cells.
Free Fall - is motion with no acceleration other than that provided by gravity.
Freezing - Changing a liquid into a solid. Freezing
point depression - The addition of a nonvolatile solute
making a solution freeze at a lower temperature than the pure
solvent. Frequency
- The number of complete waves passing a point in a given period
of time. Friction
- A force that opposes motion. Frond
- A fern leaf. Frontal
lobe - Part of the brain involved in reasoning, speech,
movement, and emotions. Fruit
- A ripened ovary with seeds. Fruticose
- Shrubby stems that are woody more or less throughout and
commonly have several main stems but no main trunk. Fulcrum
- The point around which a lever moves. Fume
hood - A safety glass-front cabinet with an exhaust fan.
Functional
group - The non-hydrocarbon part of an organic molecule.
Funiculus
- The stalk attaching a seed to the plant fruit placenta.
Fuse
- An emergency swith containing a wire that will melt when too
much current flows. Fusion
- A nuclear reaction in which two or more small nuclei are forced
together to form one larger nucleus.
Galaxy
- A large aggregate of gravitationally bound stars, plus an
interstellar medium of gas and dust. Galvanometer
- An instrument for detecting electric current. Gamete
- A sex cell, either sperm or egg. Ganglion
- A mass of nerve cells outside the central nervous system.
Gas
- A substance whose particles have enough kinetic energy to break
all intermolecular forces of attraction. Gas
Laws - Calculations used to describe the characteristics
of a gas as conditions change. Gastrulation
- The specialization of embryo cells forming the three germ layers
found in all vertebrates. Gene
- A segment of DNA on a chromosome that controls a particular
trait. Gene
flow - The process of genes moving from one population to
another. Gene
mutation - A mutation involving a nitrogen base in DNA.
Gene
pool - Refers to all the genes that can be shared by
reproduction within a population. Generator
- A device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.
Gene
therapy - Treating a genetic disorder by introducing a
gene into a cell or by correcting a defect in a cell's genome.
Genetic
drift - The changing of allele frequencies in a
population. Genetic
engineering - The application of molecular genetics for
practical purposes. Genetic
equilibrium - Allele frequencies in a population do not
change from generation to generation. Genetics
- The study of the traits of organisms. Genotype
- The genetic makeup of an organism.
Geothermal - Is energy generated by heat stored beneath the Earth's surface.
Germination - When a seed begins to grow into a new plant.
Germ
layers - The layers of specialized tissues found in
multicellular organisms. Germ
mutation - A mutation in gametes. Gestation
period - The period of development in the placenta.
Gibberellins
- A group of plant hormones that primarily stimulate elongation
growth. Gibbs
Free Energy - A comparison of the changes of enthalpy and
entropy during a chemical reaction; the chemical potential of a
substance. Gills
- External tissue rich with blood vessels to exchange gases with
the water. Gizzard
- A muscular organ in the digestive system of some animals that
grinds food. Glottis
- A slit-like opening from the throat to the lungs. Glucose
- The product of photosynthesis,
C6H12O6, that stores the sun's
energy in chemical form. Gluons
- Particles exchanged between quarks to bond them together.
Glycolysis
- A cellular process that splits the 6-carbon glucose molecule
into two 3-carbon pyruvic acid molecules and 2 ATP molecules.
Golgi
apparatus - A stack of membranes or sacs that acts to
prepare substances for export from a cell. GPE
- Gravitational potential energy. Graduated
cylindar - The basic piece of glassware use to measure the
volume of liquids. Graham's
Law - The relative rates at which two gases diffuse under
identical conditions vary inversely as the squareroots of their
molecular masses.
Gram - The SI base unit measure of mass.
Gram stain - A special way of staining bacteria cells to determine the effectiveness of antibiotics on them.
Grand Unified Theory (GUT) - Any gauge theory that attempts to combine the description of the electromagnetic force, the weak nuclear force, and the strong nuclear force in one mathematical package.
Granum - The complex network of stacked sacs found inside chloroplasts. Graph
- A way to visually represent data. Gravitational
water - Water that drains freely through the largest pores
in the soil. Graviton
- The gravity force carrying particle. Gravitropism
- A plant growth response to gravity. Gravity
- The force of attraction between all objects in the universe; the
weakest of the known natural forces. Gray
- An amount of radiation equal to the transfer of one joule of
energy to one kilogram of living tissue. Gray
matter - Nerve cell bodies in the brain. Group
- A vertical column on the Periodic Table; family. Guanine
- One of two double carbon ring nitrogen bases in DNA. Guard
cells - Two specialized epidermal cells which open and
close a stomata pore. Gymnosperms
- Seed plants that produce cones instead of flowers. Gynandrous
- A flower whose stamens are attached to the pistil.

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