What is the Water Cycle?
A process that shows how water circulates through the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere in a continuous process.
What is evaporation?
The process in which liquids move into the gas phase below the temperature at which the liquid normally boils.
What is transpiration?
The process in which liquid water is released through pores in leaves and moves into the gas phase.
What is sublimation?
The process in which solids move directly into the gas phase without first moving through the liquid phase.
What is condensation?
The process in which a gas moves into the liquid phase.
What is precipitation?
Water in the atmosphere in the solid or liquid phase that falls from clouds to the ground.
What is melting?
The process in which solids move into the liquid phase.
What is infiltration?
When precipitation that falls on the ground moves through the solid Earth and down into underground reservoirs.
What is runoff?
When precipitation that falls on the ground moves along the surface of the ground or from below the surface into surface waters.
Here are some definitions to help you in your Grade 3-5 Lesson 1 investigation.
Liquid - a phase of matter with particles that are very close together and can move slowly to change their positions
Gas - a phase of matter with particles that are very far apart and move very quickly in all directions
Vapor - a substance that normally is a liquid or solid that is in the gas phase
Change of Phase - a process in which one phase of matter changes into a different phase of matter
Evaporation - the process in which liquid changes into a gas or vapor below the normal boiling temperature of the liquid
Water Cycle - the way that water moves through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
Kinetic Energy - energy due to the motion of something
Temperature - the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance
Humidity - the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere
Wind Speed - how fast the wind is blowing
Surface Area - a total measure of the area on the surface of something
Here are some definitions to help you in your Grade 3-5 Lesson 2 investigation.
Liquid - a phase of matter with particles that are very close together and can move slowly to change their positions
Gas - a phase of matter with particles that are very far apart and move very quickly in all directions
Vapor - a substance that normally is a liquid or solid that is in the gas phase
Change of Phase - a process in which one phase of matter changes into a different phase of matter
Condensation - the process in which gas changes into a liquid
Water Cycle - the way that water moves through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
Kinetic Energy - energy due to the motion of something
Temperature - the average kinetic energy of the particles of a substance
Density - the mass of a substance in a given volume
Here are some definitions to help you in your Grade 3-5 Lesson 3 investigation.
Fresh Water - liquid or solid water with little salt or other materials
Reservoir - a place where water is stored
Distribution - how much of something and where it’s located
Salt Water - liquid water with a high salt concentration
Pie Chart - a circle graph that divides things into slices based on percentages
Percentage - the part of a whole
Data - measurement information
Here are some definitions to help you in your Grade 3-5 Lesson 4 investigation.
Precipitation - the process in which liquid water in the atmosphere forms particles large enough to fall to the ground. Precipitation can take many forms, including rain, sleet, snow, and hail
Gravity - the force that pulls objects downward towards Earth
Updraft Force - the force due to convection that pushes objects upward
Unbalanced Forces - when one force on an object is greater than another force on the same object. This causes the motion of the object to change.
Convection - the motion in a fluid that causes warmer parts of the fluid to rise and cooler parts of the fluid to sink
Fluid - a liquid or a gas
Water Cycle - the way that water moves through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
Rain - a form of precipitation where liquid water forms drops
Snow - a form of frozen (or solid) precipitation formed in clouds below the freezing point of water
Sleet - a form of frozen (or solid) precipitation formed in clouds below the freezing point of water that falls through warmer areas where it melts and then refreezes before it hits the ground
Hail - a form of precipitation in which liquid water freezes as it moves upward through colder areas before it falls to the ground
Here are some definitions to help you in your Grade 3-5 Lesson 5 investigation.
Melting - the process in which a solid changes into a liquid
Liquid - a phase of matter with particles that are very close together and can move slowly to change their positions
Solid - a phase of matter with particles that are very, very close together and cannot change their positions
Kinetic Energy - energy due to the motion of something
Temperature - the average kinetic energy of the particles of a substance
Humidity - the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere
Altitude - the distance above sea level
Water Cycle - the way that water moves through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
Snow - a form of frozen (or solid) precipitation formed in clouds below the freezing point of water
Here are some definitions to help you in your Grade 3-5 Lesson 6 investigation.
Runoff - precipitation that flows over land
Infiltration - precipitation that moves underground
Porosity - the ratio of the pores in a substance compared to the total volume of the substance
Permeable - allows fluids to pass through the substance
Soil - minerals, water, air, and organic matter and animals that support growth
Sand - the largest mineral particle in a typical soil sample
Silt - the medium-sized mineral particle in a typical soil sample
Clay - the smallest mineral particle in a typical soil sample
Groundwater - water stored in underground areas, such as crevices in rocks and between sediments
Recharging - the process in which water is added to groundwater reservoirs
Surface Water - any body of water found on Earth’s surface
Ground Cover - any plant that grows over an area of the ground
Water Cycle - the way that water moves through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
The water cycle, also called the hydrological cycle, shows how water moves through the environment on Earth. Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and recharging are all parts of the cycle. Can you fine tune each of these cycle elements to create the most efficient water cycle possible? Get ready to pour yourself into this investigation of the water cycle.
