Science Terms N-P

the vector sum of all the forces acting on an object

the metric and System International unit of force. One newton equals one kg/s2.

a resource that is not replaced in nature as quickly as it is used. In many cases it is not replaced or re-formed at all.

this force acts between any two surfaces in contact. It is the part of the contact force that acts normal or perpendicular to the surfaces in contact.

an organelle found inside a nucleus that is responsible for the production of ribosomes

the smallest unit of DNA. There are five different types of nucleotides: adenine, guanine, thymine, cytosine, and uracil. The arrangement of genes is based directly on the specific arrangement of nucleotides.

an organelle in a cell that contains all of the DNA and controls the functions of the cell

the distance from an object to a mirror or lens

the study of the Earth’s oceans

the path an object takes as it travels around another in space

a material that is plant or animal in origin

a crescent shaped lake formed when a meander is cut off from the river it was part of

the loss of electrons by a substance in a chemical reaction

a circuit with more than one path for the current to follow

the time, often measured in seconds, for one complete repetition or rotation

vascular tissue found in plants that transports mostly sugar and water; can travel either “shoot to root” or “root to shoot.”

a particle of light. A discreet amount of light energy where a single photon of light is the smallest unit of light energy possible.

a process by which the sunlight’s energy, water, and carbon dioxide are transformed into sugar and oxygen

a property that can be observed without performing a chemical transformation of that substance

the theory in which Earth’s crust is made up of many plates that float on the mantle. This theory explains the movement of the continents, the formation of mountains, earthquakes, volcanoes, and the existence of mid-oceanic ridges.

a large molecule made up of repeating units of one or more small molecules (monomers)

the location of an object in a coordinate system. Common units of measure are meters (m).

the difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points. This is commonly called voltage. The common unit of measure for potential difference is called volts.

the energy due to an object’s position or state