Matter & Properties
This term means "a substance that takes up space and has mass."
Matter
What is the term for "the heating of any form of matter caused by motion or movement" (energy in moving particles)?
Thermal energy.
Which instrument measures wind speed?
Anemometer
Name the process: "when heat causes liquid to turn into a gas."
Evaporation
What is a hurricane? (short definition)
A major storm that forms over warm ocean water with strong winds and heavy rain.
Name the property described as "properties that can be measured and recorded numerically (weight, temperature, or volume)."
Quantitative properties.
Name the process defined as "the exchange of thermal energy from one location to another."
Heat transfer.
Which instrument measures air pressure and helps meteorologists predict storms?
Barometer
Which process is "when water vapor cools and changes from a gas to a liquid"?
Condensation
Which ocean current "flows northward from the equator resulting in warm, moist air along the coast of North America"?
Gulf Stream.
This type of change results in a totally new substance and may give off heat, light, gas, or change color; it is irreversible.
Chemical change.
Identify the material that "allows energy to flow through it easily" and give one classroom example.
Conductor — e.g., copper or aluminum pot.
What instrument measures how much rain has fallen?
Rain gauge
Give the vocabulary word for "loss of water from plant leaves."
Transpiration
Define "high pressure system" and the kind of weather it usually brings.
High pressure system: area where air sinks, usually brings clear, dry weather.
According to the law of conservation of matter, what happens to the total amount of matter during physical and chemical changes?
The total amount of matter stays the same (conservation of matter).
When most materials are heated, they change size. Which two words describe becoming larger and becoming smaller?
Expand (become larger) and contract (become smaller).
What are the symbols called that show sun, clouds, precipitation, and high/low pressure on a weather map?
Weather map symbols
Which cloud type is tall and often brings thunderstorms?
Cumulonimbus clouds
What is El Niño? (use the provided vocabulary definition)
El Niño: oscillation of warmer water in the Pacific Ocean near the equator; occurs toward the end of the year (from provided text)
Give the correct vocabulary word for "a factor that remains unchanged during an experiment" and explain why it is important in a fair test.
Control — it stays the same so you can compare results; important to keep fair test.
Explain why metal pots are used for cooking (which property: conductor or insulator?) and describe what happens to particles in the metal when heated.
Metals are conductors; they allow heat to pass through. When heated, particles move faster and spread apart causing expansion.
Explain how satellites and weather balloons each help meteorologists collect data (one sentence each).
Satellites: take images and observe large-scale systems from space. Weather balloons: rise through the atmosphere to measure temperature, humidity, and pressure directly.
Describe the full water cycle in 3–4 short steps using the correct vocabulary: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff (include transpiration).
Evaporation (sun turns liquid to vapor) → Condensation (vapor cools to form clouds) → Precipitation (rain/snow falls) → Runoff (water flows back to rivers/oceans). Include transpiration from plants
Explain how the Gulf Stream affects coastal climates (one or two sentences).
The Gulf Stream brings warmer water to coastal regions, making nearby land climates milder/warmer than they would be otherwise.