elements are made of atoms, molecules, and ions
Atom
The smallest unit of matter that can contain the chemical properties of an element. Basic building block of matter.
complex carbohydrates
consist of two or more monomers of simple sugars
matter quality
a measure of how useful a form of matter is to humans a s resource, based on its availability and concentration
heat
the total kinetic energy of all moving atoms, ions, or molecules within a given substance
feedback loop
occurs when an output of matter, energy, or information, is fed back into the system as an input and leads to changes in that system
matter
anything that has mass and takes up space
nucleic acids
large polymer molecules made by linking large numbers of monomers called nucleotides
physical change
when matter has no change in its chemical composition, rather states of matter change
high- quality energy
energy that has a great capacity to do useful work because it is concentrated (high-temperature heat, concentrated sunlight, high-speed wind)
negative feedback loop
causes a system to change in the opposite direction from which it is moving
atomic theory
all elements are made up of matter
proteins
large polymer molecules formed by linking together long chains of monomers called amino acids
chemical change
when matter is changed in the chemical composition of the substances involved
low-quality energy
energy that is so dispersed that it has little capacity to do useful work (low temperature heat)
system
set of components that function and interact in some regular way (the human body, a river, an economy, and the earth)
atomic number
# of protons in the nucleus of an atom
lipids
a building block of life, chemically diverse group of large organic compounds ex. fats and oils for storing energy
chromosome
a double helix DNA molecule wrapped around some proteins
fossil fuels
fuels formed over millions of years ago: oil, coal, and natural gas
tipping point
the point at which a fundamental shift in the behavior of a system occurs
element
fundamental type of matter that has a unique set of properties and can not be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means
simple carbohydrates
organic compounds that contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
genes
distinct pieces of DNA containing instructions, or codes, called genetic information, for making specific proteins
energy
the capacity to do work or to transfer heat
throughput
rate of flow of matter, energy, or information through a system