WOW Glossary
Expand your knowledge of science terms. Bolded items are specific to the WOW Museum.
A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-X
A-C
Abiotic Factor
A nonliving part of a ecosystem.
Acid
A sour tasting, corrosive substance – the opposite of a base substance. Acidic solutions will turn a litmus red.
Air Pressure
The force put on a given area by the weight of the air around it.
alkali a substance having marked basic properties (i.e. substance with properties of a base).
Anemometer
A device used to measure the speed of wind.
angiosperm a seed plant that produces flowers.
Aquifer
An underground layer of loose rock, sand, or gravel that holds water in its spaces.
Asteroid Belt
Region between Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids are found.
Atmosphere
The blanket of gases that surrounds the Earth or another planet. Used in a sentence: burr, it’s cold in here, it must be something in the atmosphere.
Atmosphere
The blanket of air that surrounds the Earth. It is thickest near the ground and gradually fades away to nothing in outer space.
Atoms
Made up of protons and neutrons in a central nucleus surrounded by electrons. The smallest particle of a chemical element that can take part in a chemical reaction without being permanently changed.
Bacteria
Members of either of two kingdoms of one-celled living things that have no nucleus, or center, in their cell body.
barometer a device used to measure the pressure of the atmosphere. The barometer unit of measure is called millibars.
base a bitter tasting substance (and often slimy) – the opposite of a acid substance. Base solutions will turn a litmus blue.
Battery
a device that produces electricity by means of chemical reaction. A battery consist of one or more units called electric cells. Each cell has all the chemicals and parts needed to produce an electric current.
Bernoulli
Effect a decrease in fluid pressure associated with an increase in the fluid’s velocity (speed). It’s the basis for aircraft wing design explaining that air flowing over the upper, curved part of the wing moves faster than the air on the underside of the wing so that the pressure underneath is greater and hence causes lift.
Biome
One of Earth’s large ecosystems, with its own kind of climate, soil, plants, and animals.
Biosphere
Part of the earth system located between the geosphere and the atmosphere, in which life can exists.
Biotic Factor
A living part of a ecosystem.
Boiling Point
The temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid is one atmosphere.
Buoyancy
The ability to float, or in more technical terms – the upward forces exerted by a fluid on a body in it.
Capacitor
A device that stores electric energy in the form of an electric charge.
Capillary
Action the tendency of liquids to move into or out of tiny, hair like passages.
Carbon Cycle
The continuous exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen moving among living things.
Carbon Dioxide
A heavy colorless gas that does not support combustion, dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, is formed in animal respiration and in the decay or combustion of animal and vegetable matter, and is absorbed from the air by plants in photosynthesis.
Carnival of Science
Both the young and the young at heart will have a blast at this summer send-off celebration with a science twist as the WOW puts its spin on a street full of carnival-style games and activities.
Carnivore
An animal that eats another animal.
Catalyst
Something that triggers or increases the rate of a chemical reaction
Cell
The smallest unit of living matter.
Celsius
A unit of measurement for temperature. Water freezes at 0ºC (zero degrees Celsius) and boils at 100°C (100 degrees Celsius).
Charge
The state of an atom that has lost or gained an electron.
Chemical Reaction
A process by which one substance is chemically converted to another. Chemical reactions involve the formation or destruction of bonds between atoms.
Chlorophyll
A green chemical in plant cells that allows plants to use the Sun’s energy for making food.
Circuit
The path followed by an electric current. Electricity must flow in a circuit to do useful work.
Cirrus Cloud
A high-altitude cloud with a featherlike shape, made of ice crystals.
Comet
A ‘dirty snowball” orbiting the Sun. It is a mixture of ices, frozen gases, rock, and dust left over from the formation of our solar system.
Commensalism
A relationship between two kids of organisms that benefits one without harming the other.
Condensation
When a substance changes state from a gas to a liquid.
Conductor
A thing that transmits heat, electricity, light, sound or other form of energy.
Constellation
Patterns formed by groups of stars in the sky.
Control
In a science experiment, it is important to keep at least one variable constant so that the impact of the other variables can be accurately measured.
Coriolis
Effect the curving of the path of a moving object caused by the Earth’s rotation.
Correlation
The relationship between two variables such that the value of one variable can be used to generate an expectation about another variable.
Cumulus Cloud
A puffy cloud that appears to rise up from a flat bottom.
Current
The movement or flow of electric charges.
D-F
Decibel
A unit of measurement for sound, it measures the loudness or volume of the sound waves.
Deciduous Forest
A forest biome with many kinds of trees that lose their leaves each autumn.
Density
The ratio of the mass of a body to its volume.
Ecosystem
An isolated group of living (plants, animals, people) and non-living (rocks) things that coexist together and interact which each other to ensure each others’ survival.
Edutainment
Combining aspects of education and entertainment into experiences that seek to improve learning by making it fun!
Electrolysis
Splitting a substance into the separate chemicals that make it up, by passing an electric current through it.
Electrons
A negatively charged subatomic particle. Electrons are found at varying distances from a atom’s nucleus. They make up almost the entire volume of a atom but only account for a small part of the atom’s mass.
Element
A basic chemical substance in which all the atoms are the same, and different from the atoms of any other substance.
Endothermic
In chemistry, endothermic refers to a reaction that absorbs energy, generally in the form of heat.
Energy
The name given to the ability to do work.
Evaporation
The slow changing of a liquid to a gas.
Evolution
Change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.
Exothermic
In chemistry, exothermic refers to a reaction that releases energy, generally in the form of heat.
Field Study Trip
A scheduled group visit to the WOW for preschool through 6th Grade that includes exploration of the 70+ exhibits and a hands-on lesson in the WOW Lab based on the Next Generation Science Standards.
Food Chain
A chain of organisms of which each member uses the lower member as a source of food.
food web the overlapping food chains in an ecosystem.
Freezing Point
The temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid. Increased pressure usually raises the freezing point.
friction the resistance that occurs when two objects rub together.
Fungus
Members of a kingdom that contain one-celled and many-celled living things that absorb food from their environment.
G-I
Galaxy
A collection of billions of stars. Our Sun belongs to the Milky Way galaxy.
Geekology
Geek out at this WOW event with areas dedicated to comic books, pinball machines, a gaming expo, board games, a virtual reality demo, hackerspace, arts & Minecrafts, 3D printing, and more!
Grasslands
A biome where grasses, not trees, are the main plant life. Prairies are one kind of grassland region.
Gravity
The attractive central gravitational force exerted by a celestial body such as earth.
Greenhouse Effect
The warming of the atmosphere caused by the atmosphere absorbing shortwave radiation, which heats the Earth.
Greenhouse Gas
The gases in the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor, that contribute to the greenhouse effect.
Habitat
The place where a plant or animal normally lives and grows.
Herbivore
An animal that eats plants, algae, or other producers.
Humidity
The amount of water vapor in the air.
Hypothesis
This is your proposed explanation of your experiment. It is usually formed based on previous experience or your preliminary observations.
Induction
The process by which an object having electrical or magnetic properties produces similar properties in a nearby object, usually without direct contact.
Inertia
The tendency of a body to remain at rest or stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force.
Invertebrate
An animal that does not have a backbone.
Ions
Atoms that carry an electric charge, either positive or negative.
Isobar
A line on a weather map connecting places with equal air pressure.
J-L
Lightning
A powerful flash of electricity between the negative electrical charges in clouds or between a cloud and the ground.
Limiting Factor
anything that controls the growth or survival of a population.
M-O
Magnetism
The force that electric currents exert on other electric currents.
Maker Mindset
The belief that the skills required to create a desired object can be developed, improved, or expanded as necessary. Characteristics include problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry, collaboration, curiosity, playfulness, responsibility, risk-taking, and optimism.
MakerFest
From K to gray, tinkerers and creators of all ages will revel in the engaging, hands-on opportunities provided by this WOW event such as the TinkerZone, Cardboard Creation Station, Deconstruction Junction, Artwork Alley, and Crafting Corner, plus activities like tinkercopters, squishy circuits, paper air rockets, and more!
Mass
Often defined as the amount of matter in an object. Note that mass and weight are not the same thing. Weight is the force on an object due to the gravitational pull of a planet or other heavenly body. Mass on the other hand, remains constant, no matter where it is.
Melting Point
The temperature at which the vapor pressure of the solid and the liquid are the same and the pressure totals one atmosphere.
Meteor
A chunk of rock from space that burns up as it travels through the Earth’s atmosphere.
Meteorite
A chunk of rock from space that strikes the surface of the Earth or the Moon.
Mole
The mass of a substance, in grams, that is equal to the substances molecular weight. The number of particles in one mole of a substance is called Avogadro’s number.
Molecule
One of the basic units of matter. It is the smallest particle into which a substance can be divided and still have he chemical identity of the original substance.
Momentum
The speed or force of something that is moving.
Mutualism
A relationship between two kinds of organisms that benefits both.
natural selection the process whereby characteristics that promote survival and reproduction are passed on to future generations, so these characteristics become more frequent in the population over time.
Nitrogen Cycle
The continuous trapping of nitrogen gas into compounds in the soil and its return to the air.
Omnivore
An animal that eats both plants and animals.
Osmosis
The natural passage or diffusion of water (or other liquids) through a semi permeable membrane.
Oxidize
To combine with oxygen.
P-R
Parasitism
A relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism and benefits from that relationship while the other organism may be harmed by it.
Phloem
The tissue through which food from the leaves moves down through the rest of a plant.
Photosynthesis
The food-making process in green plants that uses sunlight.
Planet
Any of the eight major objects that travel around the Sun.
Pollination
The transfer of a pollen grain to the egg-producing part of a plant.
Precipitation
Any form of water particles that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the ground – rain, snow, sleet, etc.
Predator
An animal that hunts other animals for food.
Pressure
The application of a steady force upon another object.
Protist
A member of a kingdom that contains one-celled and many-celled living things, some that make food and some that hunt for food.
Protons
A positively charged subatomic particle. Protons, along with other subatomic particles called Neutrons, make up the nucleus of a atom. The number of protons in an atom is called the atomic number of the element.
Punkin Chunkin
Don’t miss a chance to turn your pumpkins into projectiles at the WOW with the power of simple machine science like levers, wheels & axles, and pulleys!
S-U
Science Birthday Party
Includes admission to the museum for up to 40 friends and family to explore, celebration of someone’s special day in our private party room, and a hands-on science experiment conducted by your very own WOW party scientist.
Summer Science Camp
There’s no better way to keep your kids engaged than to send them to a WOW Science Summer Camp that is designed to activate those inquiring minds!
Reaction
When two or more chemicals combine to make a new chemical substance.
Refraction
The bending of a wave path, as of light or sound, at the boundary between two different mediums.
Relative Humidity
A comparison between how much water vapor is in the air and how much the air could hold at a given temperature if it were full, or saturated.
Resistance
How much an object resists or opposes any electrical current that attempts to pass through it.
Resonance
When the vibrations of a substance, such as the wood of a violin, correspond to the air vibrations which make the sound.
Specific Gravity
The ratio of the density of a body to the density of water.
Static Electricity
The buildup of charged particles on an object.
Stratus Cloud
A cloud that forms in a blanket like layer.
Symbiosis
A relationship between two kinds of organisms that lasts over time.
Taiga
A cool forest biome of conifers in the upper Northern Hemisphere.
Transformer
A device that changes the voltage of electricity.
Tropism
A response of a plant toward or away from stimulus.
Troposphere
The layer of the atmosphere closet to the Earth’s surface.
Tundra
Large, treeless plain in the arctic regions where the ground is frozen all year.
Turbine
A device with a rotor turned by a moving fluid, such as water, steam, gas, or wind. A turbine changes kinetic energy (energy of movement) into electrical energy.
V-X
Vascular
Containing plant tissue through which water moves up and food moves down.
Voltage
Differences in potential (or electric state) related to the electrical forces that ‘push’ charges through a conductor. Can be thought of as the pressure which pushes electricity through a wire.
Weight
The force on an object due to the gravitational pull of a planet or other celestial body.
WOW Birthday
The WOW throws an all-day party for FREE and showcases its great educational programming with live science demonstrations, WOW birthday party experiments, and hands-on activities from our WOW Makerspace, Field Study Trip, and WOW on Wheels lessons!
WOW Makerspace
A community work space where kids come together to create while focusing on designing, modifying, or re-purposing material objects, for playful or useful ends, with the end goal of producing a shareable artifact.
WOW on Wheels
A scheduled visit from a credentialed WOW educator to your classroom for an engaging , standards-based science experience for your students that will enrich your science curriculum and spark curiosity.
Xylem
The tissue through which water and minerals move up through a plant.