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List of science words

Simple scientific concepts that can be little tricky to explain, but we've tried our best.

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Sis forSmoke

Smoke is given off when you burn something. Smoke is made up of byproduct gases and small particles from the burning process. Most of the particles are small specs of soot. The smoke in the picture is a smoke bomb some students made in a science class at a school.

Sis forSolid

A solid is something in a state that is generally difficult to change the shape of. Most things that you can see around you are solids - your furniture, rocks, and the computer you are reading this on. The other two states that physical things can be in are liquid and gas. Both of these can change shape extremely easily. You can pour water very easily because it is a liquid, but you can't pour a brick.
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A spark is a tiny piece of something, usually metal, that is glowing red-hot. Sparks are often made when you strike two surfaces together very hard and bits of one surface are broken off. The sparks in the picture were made by an angle grinder.
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Static electricity is a build up of electrical charge on the surface of something. This charge usually builds up when things rub together. You can make a static charge on a balloon by rubbing it on your clothes, and the child in the picture has got a static charge from sliding down a playground slide. Static electricity discharges when something with the charge touches something else that can accept the charge. It discharges with a zap that can hurt.

Sis forSteam

Steam is made when water boils. Steam that you see coming out of a kettle isn't actually a gas, it is a mist of water made as the invisible, gaseous water condenses in the air to form tiny droplets. This is the same process that makes clouds.
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Sis forSuck

Suction is a way of moving liquids by pulling them into an area of lower pressure. When you suck through a straw you make the inside of your mouth a low pressure zone. Water pumps move water around by the same principle.