Emergent Properties
Atoms & Elements
Terms & Definitions
More Terms & Definitions
5 Properties of Water
100

What does the term "emergent properties" mean?

Characteristics something gains when it becomes part of a larger system.

100

What does atomic number represent?

The number of protons present in an atom's nucleus and the number of electrons surrounding an atom's nucleus.

100

What are genes?

Units of inheritance from parent to child.

100

What is temperature?

The average kinetic energy of the molecules in a body of matter

100

What is cohesion?

The holding together of a substance through hydrogen bonds.

200

How many emergent properties are associated with life?

There are 7 emergent properties associated with life.

200

What does atomic mass represent?

The sum of the protons and neutrons in an atom.

200

What is matter?

Anything that takes up space and has mass.

200

What is a calorie?

The amount of heat it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius.

200

What is adhesion?

Surface molecules from two different surfaces bond together.
300

What is homeostasis?

A state of equilibrium within a living organism.

300

What element is the most essential for life, and consequently, the most abundant?

Carbon.

300

What is a cell?

The smallest structural and functional unit of an organism.

300

What is an aqueous solution?

A solution in which the solute is dissolved in water as a solvent.

300

What is surface tension?

A measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break the surface of a liquid.

400

Name another emergent property of life.

  • responsiveness to the environment, growth and change, ability to reproduce, have a metabolism and breath, being made of cells, passing traits onto offspring
400

Name another of the essential four elements for life.

Hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen.

400

What is an isotope?

A variation of an element, retaining the same number of protons, differing in the number of neutrons.

400

What do hydrophilic and hydrophobic mean?

Water-loving and water-fearing, respectively.

400

Why is water's high specific heat important?

Large bodies of water on Earth are able to absorb high amounts of heat from the sun while keeping organisms who rely on that water alive. Also, organisms are made primarily of water, so they are better able to resist temperature changes.

500

Why must organisms gain characteristics when they become part of a larger organism?

Emergent properties help these organisms adapt to their environments and increase their chances of survival.

500

Name and describe a chemical bond.

Ionic - bonding between a positive and negative ion through the electrostatic energy.

Covalent - bonding through the sharing of electrons

Hydrogen - bonding through the electrostatic attraction between a hydrogen atom and an electronegative atom of some kind

500

What is cohesion?

The holding together of a substance through hydrogen bonds.

500

What is a buffer?

A buffer is a substance that minimizes changes in the pH of a solution.

500

Why is water called the "universal solvent?"

Water is able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid.