Vocabulary for Standard 5 ( Matter Cycles)

Vocabulary for Standard 5 (Matter Cycles)

Biosphere—life Lithosphere—land or crust Hydrosphere—water Atmosphere—air

Matter—atoms. In general, new atoms are not created or destroyed on the earth. The same atoms that are on the earth today are the same atoms that were here when the earth formed. The atoms of the earth keep changing partners as they cycle through Earth’s life, air, water, and land. When matter is burned or eaten, the atoms are not destroyed. The atoms simply go back to the air, water, and soil.

Energy—energy comes in different forms such as light, heat, sound, etc. The type of energy that bonds atoms together is called chemical energy. Most of the energy on earth comes from the sun as light. Plants change light into chemical energy stored between atoms. When the plants are burned or digested, the chemical energy is eventually changed to heat energy which slowly goes off into space.

Fertilizer—nutrients to help plants grow. Most fertilizer contains nitrogen—an important nutrient for plants. Fertilizer can be natural (animal manure) or man-made (chemical fertilizer.)

Ethical—deals with what is right or wrong. Science cannot answer ethical questions because what is right or wrong is based on one’s own opinion or belief. Science can only answer questions that are testable.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)—colorless, odorless gas. Carbon dioxide gas is given off when fossil fuels are burned. It can hold heat around the earth.

Ozone (O3)—absorbs some of the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. UV rays can cause sunburn and skin cancer. Some man-made chemicals such as chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) have been found to react with the ozone in the atmosphere. This has created a thinning of the ozone layer.

International—many nations. There has been an international effort to ban chemicals that destroy ozone.

Photosynthesis—plants take in carbon dioxide from the air and water from the ground and hook it all together using energy from the sun

Respiration—animals eat food and breathe in oxygen. They break down the food to get the energy to live and breathe out carbon dioxide. Decomposition—the process of rotting. Bacteria, fungus, and worms are decomposers. Decomposers break down once-living material. Decomposers recycle the matter from the biosphere back to the air, water, and soil.