AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy key terms

A measure of how acidic or alkaline soil is.

A wire wound into a coil with many turns, which produces a magnetic field when it carries a current.

Able to dissolve in a solvent. A soluble salt dissolves in water to form a salt solution.

A substance dissolved in a solvent to form a solution.

A mixture formed when a solute dissolves in a solvent.

The liquid in which a substance dissolves to form a solution.

The furthest point reached by the solvent during chromatography.

Tiny solid carbon particles produced during incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels.

A cell with a structure suited to carrying out a particular function.

The evolution of a new species.

The smallest group in the Linnaean hierarchy, whose organisms share the most characteristics.

The geographical pattern of where a species lives.

The energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of a substance by one degree Celsius, measured in J/(kg °C).

The energy required to change the state of one kilogram of a substance with no change in temperature, measured in J/kg.

The energy required to change one kilogram of a substance from solid to liquid with no change in temperature. The same amount is released when one kilogram freezes.

The energy required to change one kilogram of a substance from liquid to vapour with no change in temperature. The same amount is released when one kilogram condenses.

An ion that remains unchanged during a reaction and can be cancelled from both sides when writing an ionic equation.

The distance travelled per unit time, usually measured in metres per second (m/s).

A chemical that kills or disables sperm.

A rotating connector made from two separated metal segments that reverses the current through a motor’s coil every half-turn.

Leaf tissue with loosely arranged cells and air spaces that allow gases to diffuse through the leaf.

A reproductive structure produced by a fungus that can spread and give rise to a new infection.

A measure of a spring’s stiffness: the force required per metre of extension or compression in its proportional region, measured in newtons per metre (N/m).

A community in which species and environmental conditions remain sufficiently balanced over time, although population sizes may fluctuate.

A substance used to add colour and contrast so that cells or their structures are easier to distinguish.

A way of writing a positive number as $A \times 10^n$, where $1 \leq A < 10$ and $n$ is an integer.

A wave pattern with fixed positions of little or no movement and vibrating loops between them.

A carbohydrate made from glucose that stores energy in plants.