Key terms & definitions

A measurable property expressed as a number, with a unit where appropriate.

A measurable property written as a numerical value with an appropriate unit, such as a time of 30 s.

A measurable property of an object or system, such as length, mass, time or temperature.

A question about the natural world that could, in principle, be investigated using observations, measurements or experiments.

A question that could, at least in principle, be investigated using observations, measurements, evidence and scientific reasoning.

A question that could, in principle, be investigated using observations or measurements.

The logical scientific explanation connecting evidence to a finding or conclusion.

The scientific reasoning behind an investigation, explaining why its question is worth investigating and how it relates to existing knowledge.

A literary form that develops an imaginative story from scientific ideas or possibilities, often exploring their consequences for society.

A word or expression with a specific meaning in science, used to communicate an idea precisely.

A well-supported scientific explanation that accounts for observations and can be tested against evidence.

A proposed explanation of events or observations that can be assessed using evidence.

A general scientific explanation that applies to many situations, has been tested and used successfully, and is widely accepted by scientists.

An explanation supported by evidence that can be tested and revised as further evidence becomes available.

The widening gap in 1923 between high industrial prices and low agricultural prices, which made manufactured goods expensive for peasants relative to their earnings from farm produce.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights organisation led by Martin Luther King which used non-violent campaigning.

The tough white outer layer that protects the eyeball.

The part of a program in which a variable can be accessed.

A military policy of destroying resources, such as farms, crops and livestock, to prevent an enemy from using them.

Destroying supplies, crops, buildings or transport facilities during a retreat to prevent an advancing enemy from using them.

A military policy of destroying resources and supplies so that an opponent cannot use them.

Music composed for a film to accompany its action and help create meaning and emotion.

Volcanic rock containing holes left by gas bubbles; fragments of it are also called cinders.

Making a controlled line or impression in card to prepare it for folding, without cutting right through it.

The headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, from which senior officers and specialist detectives helped direct investigations.

The accelerating competition between European powers to acquire territory and control in Africa during the late nineteenth century.

Discarded metal that can be collected and processed for recycling.

Discarded metal products or manufacturing offcuts that can be recovered and processed for reuse.

An accumulation of loose rock fragments on a slope, often below an exposed rock face.

Testing people for signs of disease before they necessarily have symptoms.