Key terms & definitions

A person's social and economic position, associated with factors such as income, education and occupation.

Language associated with a particular social group.

The systematic study of society, social behaviour and social relationships using concepts, theories and evidence.

Blocks of earth held together by grass and its roots, used by some Plains settlers as a building material.

A strong plough capable of cutting through the dense grass roots of the Plains so that crops could be planted.

A house built from blocks of grass-covered earth, used where timber was scarce.

A mineral found in salt that helps regulate fluid balance and enables normal nerve and muscle activity.

Informal government decision-making through private discussions with a small group of advisers or ministers rather than full Cabinet discussion.

Easy to cut or deform; alkali metals are soft enough to be cut with a knife.

Flood management that works with natural processes or reduces people's exposure and vulnerability to flooding.

A temperature at which a material becomes less rigid and more easily deformed; this does not necessarily mean that it melts.

The temperature at which a polymer becomes sufficiently soft to deform readily; softening can occur over a range of temperatures.

A softened visual appearance that reduces sharp detail and can give a face a glamorous, idealised quality.

Iron that is easily magnetised and quickly loses most of its magnetism when the magnetising field is removed. ‘Soft’ describes its magnetic behaviour.

The iron placed inside an electromagnet that becomes magnetised while current flows and readily loses its magnetism when the current is switched off.

Influence gained through persuasion, attraction, reputation or culture rather than coercion.

Joining metal surfaces using a melted filler metal called solder, without melting the parts being joined.

Damage to tissues such as muscles, tendons, ligaments or skin, rather than a break in a bone.

Programs, code or instructions executed by computer hardware.

A legal agreement specifying how software may be used, copied, modified or distributed.

Correcting, updating or adapting software after it has been developed.

Timber obtained from coniferous trees, harvested for uses including wood products and pulp and paper production.

Timber obtained from coniferous trees, which usually have needles and cones. The category does not mean that the wood is physically soft.

A memory aid for $\sin\theta=O/H$, $\cos\theta=A/H$ and , where the letters represent opposite, adjacent and hypotenuse.

The compression of soil, reducing the spaces between its particles.

The removal and transport of soil by water or wind.

The removal and transport of soil by agents such as wind and flowing water.

The wearing away and removal of soil by agents such as water.

The removal and movement of soil by wind or water.

A measure of how acidic or alkaline soil is.