Key terms & definitions

The total area of the exposed faces or curved surfaces of a three-dimensional solid.

The total area of an object’s surfaces, measured in squared units such as $\text{mm}^2$ or $\text{m}^2$.

A comparison of an object's surface area with its volume, showing how much surface is available for each unit of volume.

The amount of exposed surface of a solid compared with its volume.

The surface area of an object divided by its volume. Smaller pieces of the same shape have a larger surface area to volume ratio.

A comparison of an object's surface area with its volume, showing how much surface is available for each unit of volume.

The total area of an object's surface compared with its volume, calculated as surface area divided by volume and commonly written as $x:1$.

A finish that forms a protective film on top of timber, such as paint or varnish.

A coating or process used on a material’s surface to improve its appearance or performance.

Text, images, symbols and patterns applied to a product’s surface to decorate it or communicate information.

A method of assembly in which electronic components are attached directly to contact pads on the surface of a printed circuit board.

A method of assembling electronic circuits in which components are mounted directly onto pads on the surface of a printed circuit board.

Water flowing over the ground surface towards a river rather than soaking into the soil.

Water flowing across the ground surface towards a river, rather than entering the soil.

Water flowing over the land into streams, rivers, lakes and seas.

Water flowing over the land surface towards streams, rivers, lakes and the sea.

A property caused by attraction between liquid molecules which makes the liquid’s surface resist being stretched or broken.

A process applied to a material to change or protect its surface or improve its resistance to deterioration.

Water held above ground, including in rivers and lakes.

A shaping tool with a perforated metal blade whose cutting edges remove material rapidly and leave a relatively rough surface.

A practitioner who treated injuries and other conditions through physical procedures, including operations.

Treatment involving physical operations on the body, such as repairing wounds or removing a limb.

A meeting or drop-in session where residents can discuss problems and concerns with their elected representative.

Produce or other resources left over after immediate needs have been met, which can be stored for later use.

People regarded as exceeding the number that available resources can support. Scrooge uses this expression to dismiss poor people’s lives as unnecessary.

In Marx’s analysis, the difference between the value workers create and the wages they receive, which capitalists appropriate as the basis of profit.

A person who takes on a mother's caring role without being the child's biological mother.

Everything outside the reacting system, from which energy can be transferred or to which energy can be transferred.

The area or materials around the reacting substances to which energy can be transferred or from which energy can be taken.

Everything outside the reacting chemicals that can exchange energy with them, such as the surrounding solution, container and air.