Key terms & definitions

A flat reflecting surface.

An imaginary flat surface in which movement takes place.

A natural object that orbits a star; Earth is a planet orbiting the Sun.

Removing thin shavings with a cutting blade to flatten, smooth or reduce the dimensions of timber.

Small organisms that drift in water, including microscopic aquatic plants and animals.

An economy in which the state directs production and investment rather than leaving these decisions mainly to markets.

Designing products to become outdated or unusable after a limited period, encouraging consumers to replace them.

Deliberately designing a product to have a shorter useful or desirable life than it could otherwise have, encouraging its replacement.

Preparing people, supplies and procedures so that communities can act effectively before, during and after a hazard.

Rules through which local government controls where development can take place and what form it can take.

Movement at the ankle that points the foot and toes away from the shin, increasing the angle between the top of the foot and the shin.

A large agricultural estate producing a crop for sale, such as sugar. Caribbean sugar plantations relied heavily on enslaved labour.

An area of deliberately planted trees, often managed for timber production.

A piece of a parent plant, usually part of a stem, used to grow a new plant.

A preparation containing substances taken from a plant, some of which may affect microbial growth.

A chemical produced by a plant that coordinates its growth or development.

A natural plant compound that, when consumed in sufficient amounts in specially formulated foods, reduces cholesterol absorption and helps lower blood cholesterol.

A view of an object looking directly down from above.

A build-up of fatty material inside an artery that can narrow the space through which blood flows.

The yellow liquid component of blood that carries blood cells, platelets and dissolved substances around the body.

A very hot gas in which atoms have lost electrons, leaving charged particles.

The liquid component of blood, mainly water, which transports dissolved substances and suspends blood cells and platelets.

The liquid component of blood that transports blood cells, platelets and dissolved substances, including nutrients.

A small, circular piece of DNA found in bacteria that can be used as a vector.

A small circular piece of DNA found in bacterial cells, separate from their main chromosome; it can be used as a vector.

A small circular piece of bacterial DNA carrying additional genes.

A permanent deformation: the object does not return fully to its original shape and dimensions when the forces causing the deformation are removed.

A change in shape or size that is not completely reversed when the deforming forces are removed, leaving a permanent change.

An additive that increases a polymer’s flexibility and reduces brittleness.

The nervous system's ability to reorganise so that undamaged connections or regions may take over some functions after injury.