PART 2: VOCABULARY AND DEFINITIONS (UNIT 1.1 – 4.

5)
Unit 1: Cells
 Cell: The basic unit of life; tiny 'boxes' that make up all living
organisms.
 Cell membrane: A very thin, flexible layer that surrounds all cells. It
controls what goes in and out of the cell.
 Cell wall: A strong, stiff outer layer found in plant cells (outside the
membrane). It holds the cell in shape.
 Cellulose: The substance that plant cell walls are made of.
 Chlorophyll: A green substance found in chloroplasts that absorbs
energy from sunlight.
 Chloroplast: A structure in plant cells where food is made
(photosynthesis).
 Cytoplasm: A clear jelly-like substance inside cells where chemical
reactions happen.
 Magnify: To make an object look bigger than it really is (e.g., using a
microscope).
 Mitochondria: Structures inside cells where energy is released from
food.
 Nucleus: The control centre of the cell. It controls the activities of the
cell.
 Sap vacuole: A large, fluid-filled space inside a plant cell containing
cell sap (sugar and water solution).
 Stain: A dye (like methylene blue) used to colour cells to make them
easier to see under a microscope.
  Specialised cell: A cell that has a specific structure to help it carry out a
specific function.
 Red blood cell: An animal cell adapted to carry oxygen. It has no
nucleus and contains haemoglobin.
 Neurone: A nerve cell adapted to carry electrical signals. It has a long
axon.
 Ciliated cell: A cell with tiny hair-like structures (cilia) that sweep
mucus out of airways.
 Root hair cell: A plant cell with a long extension to absorb water and
minerals from the soil.
 Palisade cell: A plant cell found in leaves, packed with chloroplasts for
photosynthesis.
 Tissue: A group of similar cells working together to carry out a
particular function.
 Organ: A structure made of several different tissues working together
(e.g., heart, leaf).
 Organ system: A group of organs working together to carry out a major
function (e.g., digestive system).
Unit 2: Materials and their structure
 Matter: Everything that can be seen and felt; made of particles.
 State of matter: The distinct forms that matter takes on: solid, liquid, or
gas.
 Property: A way that a substance behaves (e.g., can it flow, can it be
compressed).
 Volume: The amount of space an object or substance takes up.
 Particle theory: The theory that all matter is made of tiny particles
arranged in different ways.
 Vacuum: A space where there are no particles at all.
 Melting point: The specific temperature at which a solid turns into a
liquid.
 Boiling point: The temperature at which a liquid turns into a gas (100
degrees C for water).
 Evaporation: When a liquid turns into a gas (can happen below boiling
point).
 Condensation: The change of state from gas to liquid.
 Freezing: The change of state from a liquid to a solid.
 Meniscus: The curved surface of a liquid in a tube (volume is read from
the bottom of the meniscus).
 Atom: The smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist;
"cannot be divided".
 Element: A substance made of only one type of atom.
 Periodic Table: A chart where all elements are arranged into rows
(periods) and columns (groups).
 Symbol: A one or two-letter code used to represent an element (e.g., O
for Oxygen, Na for Sodium).
 Compound: A substance made of two or more different types of atoms
bonded together.
 Bonding: The way atoms join tightly together to form compounds.
 Formula: A combination of symbols and numbers that shows the
elements in a compound (e.g., H2O).
 Mixture: Different kinds of particles mixed together but not chemically
bonded. They can be separated.
 Pure: A substance that contains only a single substance.
Unit 3: Forces and energy
 Gravity: A force of attraction between objects due to their mass.
 Force of gravity: The pull towards the center of a large object (like
Earth).
 Weight: The force of gravity acting on an object. Measured in Newtons
(N).
 Mass: The quantity of matter in an object. Measured in Kilograms (kg).
Mass does not change.
 Contact force: A force that acts up from a surface to support an object
(equal to weight if not moving).
 Nebula: A cloud of dust and gas in space where stars are formed.
 Orbit: The path an object takes as it moves around another object in
space.
 Air resistance: A force caused by air particles pushing against a moving
object (slows things down).
 Vacuum: A space with no air and no air resistance (like space).
 Tide: The change in depth of the ocean water caused by gravity.
 Tidal range: The difference in depth of the water between high and low
tides.
 Energy: The capacity to do work.
 Kinetic energy: The energy of a moving object.
 Potential energy: Stored energy (e.g., gravitational potential or elastic
potential).
 Chemical energy: Energy stored in chemical bonds (e.g., in food or
fuel).
  Energy transfer: The movement of energy from one place or object to
another.
Unit 4: Grouping and identifying organisms
 Organism: A living thing.
 MRS GREN: The acronym for the 7 characteristics of life: Movement,
Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, Nutrition.
 Species: A group of organisms that can reproduce to produce fertile
offspring.
 Variation: The differences between individuals of the same species.
 Classification: Sorting organisms into groups based on their
similarities.
 Vertebrate: An animal with a backbone.
 Invertebrate: An animal without a backbone.
 Virus: A microscopic particle that can infect living cells (not considered
fully alive).
 Key: A series of questions used to identify an organism (e.g., a
dichotomous key).
 Genus: A group of closely related species (the first part of a scientific
name).