Science 8

Living things share six characteristics: they respire (release energy from food), grow, take in nutrients, produce waste, respond to stimuli, and reproduce.

Cell theory has three parts: living things are made of one or more cells, the cell is the basic unit of life, and all cells come from pre-existing cells.

Photosynthesis is the process plant cells use to capture light energy and turn it into food (sugar).

Micro-organisms act as decomposers, recycling nutrients in ecosystems by breaking down dead material.

The immune system provides a barrier to infection, plus non-specific responses (like fever and inflammation) and specific responses (like antibodies and phagocytes) that fight infection once it gets in.

Kinetic molecular theory explains how particles move differently depending on the state of matter — packed and vibrating in place in a solid, sliding past each other in a liquid, and moving freely and quickly in a gas.

Atomic theory is the body of scientific evidence that supports the existence of atoms and molecules, even though we can't see them directly.

Protons and neutrons are the particles that make up an atom's nucleus, held together by the strong nuclear force.

Electrons are held at a distance from the nucleus through electromagnetism, the force between charged particles.

Adding energy (heat) makes particles move faster, which is why heating a solid can eventually turn it into a liquid, then a gas.

The electromagnetic spectrum consists of radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, UV, X-rays, and gamma rays — all the same basic type of energy, just at different energy levels.

Light acts like both a wave and a particle at the same time — a strange but well-supported property called wave-particle duality.

These types are usually shown ordered from lowest to highest energy, from radio waves up through gamma rays.

Light has measurable properties: wavelength (distance between wave peaks), amplitude (wave height, related to brightness), and frequency (how many waves pass per second, related to colour/energy).

Electromagnetic radiation can have positive effects, like using targeted radiation for cancer treatments.

Earth's crust is broken into plates that move in different ways — pulling apart, colliding, or sliding past each other.

Major geological events of local significance — such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides — have shaped the region where a student lives.

First Peoples hold knowledge of local geological formations, built from generations of careful observation of the land.

Earth is made of distinct layers: the crust (thin, outer, rocky), the mantle (thick, mostly solid but able to flow slowly), the outer core (liquid), and the inner core (solid, under immense pressure).

Where plates meet (plate boundaries) is where most geological activity happens, including earthquakes and volcanoes.