Earth as a System

Front

System Noun

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[sis-tuhm]

Back

System

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A collection of interacting parts that work together to form a complex whole, such as a planet or an organism.

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Example: The Earth and Moon form a system where gravity and motion interact.

Front

Subsystem Noun

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[suhb-sis-tuhm]

Back

Subsystem

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A self-contained system that is a smaller component of a larger, more complex system.

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Example: The diagram shows a system with a boundary, illustrating how subsystems are parts of larger systems.

Front

Organism Noun

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[or-guh-niz-uhm]

Back

Organism

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An individual living being, such as a human, animal, or plant, that can carry out life processes independently.

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Example: A single-celled organism showing its structure, illustrating how it carries out life processes independently.

Front

Organ System Noun

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[or-guhn sis-tuhm]

Back

Organ System

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A group of organs that work together to perform one or more major functions within an organism's body.

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Example: The image shows how the heart and blood vessels work together to circulate blood, demonstrating an organ system.

Front

Organ Noun

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[or-guhn]

Back

Organ

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A self-contained part of an organism, composed of different tissues, that has a specific vital function like the heart.

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Example: The heart is an organ that pumps blood through the body, shown here with labeled parts like atria and ventricles.

Front

Tissue Noun

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[tish-oo]

Back

Tissue

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A group of similar cells from the same origin that together carry out a specific function within an organism.

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Example: This diagram shows how muscle cells form tissue, highlighting cell structures like striations and nuclei.

Front

Cell Noun

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[sel]

Back

Cell

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The smallest structural and functional unit of an organism, which is typically microscopic and consists of cytoplasm and a nucleus.

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Example: The image shows the nucleus of a cell, highlighting its structure and components like the nucleolus and nuclear membrane.

Front

Hierarchy Noun

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[hahy-uh-rahr-kee]

Back

Hierarchy

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An arrangement of things according to levels of importance or inclusiveness, from largest to smallest or vice versa.

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Example: The image shows a hierarchy in biological classification, from general (life) to specific (species).

Front

Geosphere Noun

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[jee-oh-sfeer]

Back

Geosphere

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The system comprising the solid parts of the Earth, including its core, mantle, and the rocky outer crust.

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Example: This diagram shows the geosphere's layers: crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core.

Front

Core Noun

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[kor]

Back

Core

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The very hot, very dense center of our planet, composed primarily of iron and nickel.

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Example: The image shows Earth's layers, highlighting the core as the dense, hot center made of iron and nickel.