Unit 1A Vocabulary List

purity: clean, free from impurities

filtrate: the liquid collected after it has been filtered (through sand/gravel filtration).

adsorb: to attract and hold onto a surface.

percent recovery: percent of original foul water sample recovered as purified water.

purified water: water that has been cleaned through a process of filtration/purification. The final step of purification is distillation.

histogram: shows percent recovery obtained (by all laboratory groups in the class).

range: the difference between the largest and smallest values in a data set.

average/mean: average value found by adding all values together and dividing the sum by the total number of values.

median: middle value

distillation: the process of separating salt from water through evaporation and condensation in a distillation apparatus.

electrical conductivity: focuses on the presence of dissolved, electrically charged particles in water. (Light bulb test).

Tyndall Effect: the clarity of a water sample tested by passing a beam of light through each sample. Presence or absence of the Tyndall Effect. Is the beam of light present all the way through the beaker or just on the edges?

pure: clean, purified.

water cycle/hydrologic cycle: the cycle of water falling, evaporating into the air, condensing, and falling again.

direct water use: water that can be directly measured.

indirect water use: hidden uses of water.

gaseous state: water vapor in the air.

liquid state: in lakes, rivers, oceans, clouds, and rain.

solid state: ice.

surface water: a river or other body of water.

groundwater: a well- must be pumped to the surface.

aquifer: a water-bearing layer of rock, sand, or gravel.