Science Glossary

[A] - What exactly does the terms mean?

Acid

Any water-soluble compound having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt. Acid has a pH-level of less than 7.0 (A pH of 7 is neutral).

Acid rain

Rain which is unusually acidic (pH of less than the natural range of 5 to 6), caused mainly by atmospheric pollution with sulphur dioxide and nitrogen compounds.

Air

A mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the atmosphere consists of.

Air pressure (Atmospheric pressure)

Air pressure is the weight of the atmosphere pressing down on the earth. It is measured by a barometer in units called millibars.

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was born in Germany and was a Jewish philosopher and author, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential and best known scientists and intellectuals of all time. In 1933, he joined the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey and lived and worked there until his death. Einstein is probably familiar to most people for his mathematical equation about the nature of energy, E = MC2.

Alkaline

Relating to or containing an alkali, hence having a pH greater than 7. Alkaline batteries have potassium hydroxide as its electrolyte and a zinc / manganese dioxide cell.

Altitude

The height above sea level or above the earth's surface.

Ambergris

A sperm whale secretion. Sperm whales produce it to protect their stomachs from the beaks of the cuttlefish they swallow, and formerly valued greatly in the manufacturing process of perfumes.

Ambient Temperature

The temperature of the surrounding air.

Amplifier

An electronic device that changes, usually increases, the strength or amplitude of a signal passing through it.

Amplifies

To make larger or more powerful; increase.

Amplify

To increase the volume of or 'amplify' sound.

Anemometer

An anemometer is a meteorological instrument that measures wind speed, either be gauging velocity or pressure.

Astrolabe

An ancient circular instrument used to observe and calculate the position of celestial bodies.

Atmosphere

The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body of sufficient mass, held together by the gravity of the body.

Atoms

The smallest component of an element or 'matter' having the chemical properties of the element.