Water Basics
Water is called the universal ______ because it dissolves many substances.
Solvent
What property makes water molecules stick to each other?
Cohesion
What process breaks down rocks at Earth’s surface?
Weathering
What process moves sediment from one place to another?
Erosion
What is an educated, testable prediction often written as “If…, then…”?
A hypothesis
What does it mean when a substance dissolves in water?
It mixes evenly into the water, forming a solution.
What property makes water stick to other materials?
Which type of weathering changes a rock’s size or shape without changing what it is made of?
Physical weathering
What process drops or settles sediment in a new location?
Deposition
What do we call the factor a scientist purposely changes?
Independent variable
A water molecule has a slightly positive end and a slightly negative end. What property does this describe?
Polarity
What property creates a “sticky skin” on the surface of water?
Surface tension
Which type of weathering changes what a rock is made of?
Chemical weathering
Wind blows sand from a beach into a nearby parking lot. Which process is moving the sand?
Erosion
What do we call the result a scientist measures?
Dependent variable
Why does ice float in liquid water?
Ice is less dense than liquid water.
Two small water droplets touch and become one larger drop. Which property causes this?
Cohesion
Water freezes inside a crack, expands, and breaks a rock apart. What type of weathering is this?
Physical weathering
A river slows down and leaves sand and small rocks on its bottom. Which process is occurring?
Deposition
A student compares how quickly sugar dissolves in hot and cold water. What is the independent variable?
The water temperature
How does water’s high heat capacity help keep coastal temperatures mild?
Water heats and cools slowly, helping nearby land stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
Water sticks to the side of a glass while its molecules also stick together. Name both properties involved.
Adhesion sticks water to the glass; cohesion holds water molecules together.
Acid rain reacts with minerals in a statue and slowly wears it away. What type of weathering is this, and why?
Chemical weathering because the acid reacts with and changes the minerals.
A rock breaks into pieces, a stream carries them away, and the pieces settle in a lake. Name the three processes in order.
Weathering → erosion → deposition
In that experiment, the student measures dissolving time and uses the same amount of sugar each time. Identify the dependent variable and one constant.
Dependent variable: dissolving time. Constant: amount of sugar.