Discovery Education Unit 1: Process of Science

Gravity

A force that exists between any two objects that have mass and that pulls the objects together. The greater the mass of an object, the greater its gravitational pull.

Solar system

A system of objects that revolve around a star such as the Sun.

The Theory of Evolution

A theory that the various species of living organisms have their origin in common ancestors and that the distinguishable differences are due to heritable modifications in successive generations.

Geophysics

The branch of geology that focuses on the physics of Earth and Earth systems for example, seismic waves, energy transfer, gravity, and magnetism.

Adaptive radiation

The evolutionary division of a group of organisms into diverse groups over a short period of geologic time.

Catastrophism

The idea that Earth's history has been characterized by a series of extreme, rapid, worldwide events.

Big Bang theory

The most commonly accepted scientific theory of how the universe formed; states that the universe expanded from a hot, dense initial condition at a specific point in time around 13.5 billion years ago.

Continental drift

The movement of Earth's continents relative to each other.

Uniformitarianism

The principle that throughout Earth's history, slow geologic processes (such as weathering and erosion) have been occurring in the same manner and at the same rates as today, and that these processes have been primarily responsible for shaping Earth's surface.

Geology

The study of Earth through the study of rocks, minerals, water, and other Earth materials, as well as through seismic waves and other natural phenomena.

Geography

The study of all natural and political features of Earth's surface.

Paleontology

The study of fossils and the fossil record.

Oceanography

The study of oceans.

Seismology

The study of seismic waves, earthquakes, and other ground vibrations.

Astronomy

The study of space and the properties and behavior of bodies in outer space such as stars, planets, etc.

Plate tectonics

The theory that describes the movement and recycling of segments of Earth's crust, called tectonic plates.

Seismic wave

Waves of energy that travel through Earth's interior due to an earthquake, other tectonic forces, or an explosion.

Igneous

1. One of the three major rock types, formed by the cooling and crystallization of magma or lava 2. the processes involved in the melting and cooling of magma.

Astrophysics

A branch of astronomy that focuses on the physical properties of stars and other celestial bodies, as well as the physical laws of the universe.

Petrology

A branch of geology that focuses on the formation, characteristics, composition, and history of rocks.