8th Grade Science STAAR Review

Cheat Sheet
Matter & Energy Force, Motion, & Energy
Subatomic Particles Groups Periods

1. Same # of valence 1. Same # of Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion

Protons Neutrons Electrons electrons electron shells

1. Inertia- An object at rest stays at rest

Positive Neutral Negative 2. Similar chemical 2. Similar atomic
and physical mass and an object in motion stays in
properties motion unless acted on by an
1 AMU 1 AMU 0 AMU
unbalanced force.
Nucleus Nucleus Electron Cloud 2. Force & Acceleration- The more mass
an object has the more force needed to
A=P=E accelerate it. F=MA
Atomic Number=12
3. Action-Reaction- For every action there
Protons = 12 is an equal and opposite reaction.

Electrons = 12
Balanced:
M-A=N
Mass= 24 Net Force= 0

No movement
Atomic Number = 12

24-12= 12 NEUTRONS
Unbalanced:

Subtract opposing forces

Magnesium is found in group 2, period Moves in the direction of the

greater force
3 so that means it will have 2 Valence
Electrons and 3 Electron Shells. Speed- The distance and object travels in a
certain amount of time.
2 Valence Electrons will make it very reactive.
Velocity- Speed in a certain direction.
Groups 1 & 7 Highest Reactivity
Acceleration- When an object, speeds up, slows
Group 8 Unreactive down, or changes direction. (A change in
velocity).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Distance-Time Velocity-Time
C3H8 + 502 4H20 + 3CO2

Atoms= Subscripts (The small number to the right of the Stopped Constant
element) Example: 3 atoms of Carbon or 10 atoms of
Oxygen. Hint- Don’t forget to multiply the coefficient
and subscript when they belong to the same element.

Elements= Capital Letters Example: 3 Elements on the

Reactant Side. (Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen)
Metals- good conductors, solid, Formula Triangles
Molecules = Coefficients in front of compounds (The big
malleable, luster. d W
number) Example: 1 molecule of C3H8 and 4 molecules of Speed Work
Nonmetals- not good conductors, liquids t s F d
H2O
or gases.
Compounds= Two or more CAPITAL LETTERS together
M
Example: H2O and CO2 Metalloids- share properties of both F
Force Density
metals and nonmetals M A D V
 8th Grade Science STAAR Review

Cheat Sheet
Earth & Space
Spring Tides: Occur at the New Moon and Full Cold Front
Moon phases. “Spring into action”, this is the
most drastic difference between high and low
tides. The S for Spring think S for Sideways.
Warm Front

Neap Tides: Occur at the First Quarter and

Third Quarter moon phases. Not a big difference
between high and low tides. The N for Neap High Pressure
think N for North.
Clear skies
and fair
Convergent Divergent Transform weather

Topographic Map Low Pressure

Alfred Wegner Clouds,
precipitation
Contour Interval:
Mountains Valleys Faults and storms
Subtract lowest elevation Continental Drift
from highest elevation.
developed into
H-R
X= Peak of mountain Plate Tectonics

Rotation- Spinning in place, 24 hours, day-night

Diagram
cycle.

Revolution- Traveling around another object, 365

days/1 year.

Axial Tilt- 23.5 degrees, why we have seasons,

everything is the exact opposite in the Southern
Brightness Temperature is NOT Surface Temperature
Hemisphere.
related to Brightness!

Absolute Magnitude: Size Our Sun is a middle-age,

average sized, yellow, main-
Spectral Class: Color sequence star.
Organisms & Environment Marine (Ocean) Freshwater (Lake) Terrestrial
Producer/Consumer Predator/Prey Parasite/Host (Land)
A plant being eaten by An animal hunting, An organism that uses
an animal for energy. killing and eating another living
another animal. organism as a feeding
source, a place to lay
eggs and a habitat.

Biotic- Any living organism in an
ecosystem.
(Plants & Animals)
Abiotic- Nonliving resources in an
ecosystem that help the biotic
factors survive.
(Sunlight, soil, rocks, water, and air)
Artificial Reefs are made to
replace destroyed coral
reefs.
Ways that we affect our
ocean systems: pollution,
oil spills, overharvesting.
Natural Selection: The process that allows
organisms with stronger genetic traits to live and
pass those traits on to their offspring.
Biodiversity: The variety of species in an area and
the genetic variation within those species.
Ecological Succession: A predictable and slow
process of the rebuilding of an ecosystem.