Lab note: "Stir the salt into the water until no grains remain. The solute spreads evenly through the liquid, though a taste test proves it is still there." As used here, what does "solute" mean?

Student page: "2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O. The materials on the left are used up, and the material on the right is what forms." In this equation, what does the arrow "->" tell the reader about the left side?

Field report: "The river slows where it widens, and the sand and silt it carried settle to the bottom. Over years this sediment builds a bar that boats steer around." As used here, what does "sediment" mean?

Safety card: "Keep the cleaner capped. It is volatile, so an open jar loses liquid to the air within hours and the fumes fill the room." As used here, what does "volatile" mean?

Battery spec: "Charge each cell to 4.20 V ± 0.05." What does the symbol "±" before 0.05 tell the technician?

Lab sheet: "Record the start temperature and the end temperature. Then subtract to find delta T and write it in the last column." In this sheet, what does "delta T" stand for?

Microscope guide: "Turn to the 40x lens. One hair now fills the whole view." In this guide, what does the "x" after 40 mark?

Repair manual: "Cold gear oil is viscous. It creeps down the shaft slowly, while warm oil runs off the same shaft in seconds." As used here, what does "viscous" mean?

Step 1: "Calibrate the scale before weighing. Set the 1 kilogram standard on the pan and turn the dial until the display reads exactly 1.00 kilograms." As used in step 1, what does "calibrate" mean?

Soil study: "Water poured on the sandy plot sank out of sight in seconds. Sand is permeable, while the packed clay beside it held a puddle all afternoon." As used here, what does "permeable" mean?

Farm log: "The north field's yield was 9,000 kilograms this fall, up from 7,000 last year. The same seed and the same planted area produced the larger harvest." As used here, what does "yield" mean?

Packing note: "The case is flooded with argon, an inert gas. Argon will not combine with the metal parts, so nothing rusts during shipping." As used here, what does "inert" mean?

Warning label: "The drain acid is corrosive. It dissolves aluminum pans and pits the sink, so pour it only into the glass jar provided." As used here, what does "corrosive" mean?

Boat test: "With a brick strapped on, the foam block stayed buoyant and rode high on the water. The wood block loaded exactly the same way sank at once." As used here, what does "buoyant" mean?

Heat lab: "The copper rod grew hot at the far end within a minute. Copper is a good conductor, while the plastic rod beside it stayed cool at its far end." As used here, what does "conductor" mean?

Solution log: "We stirred sugar into the warm water until the water was saturated. After that, every extra spoonful settled on the bottom undissolved." As used here, what does "saturated" mean?

Trial notes: "We let the pond water dry in the dish for two days. A thin white residue of salt coated the glass once the water was gone." As used here, what does "residue" mean?

Step 4: "Pour the muddy water through the paper cone into the beaker. Keep the filtrate in the beaker, and throw the paper, with the mud on it, away." As used in step 4, what does "filtrate" mean?

Reaction note: "The two clear liquids were mixed. Within seconds a white precipitate formed and drifted to the bottom, while the liquid above it stayed clear." As used here, what does "precipitate" mean?

Tire chart: "Inflate to 220 kPa. The gauge reports how hard the air pushes on each square meter of the tire wall, and a tire below 190 kPa handles poorly." In this chart, what does "kPa" measure?

Notebook: "Write water as H2O. The small 2 sits right after the H because two hydrogen atoms join one oxygen atom in every unit." In this formula, what does the small "2" tell the reader?

Pump spec: "Flow must be > 20 liters per minute. A pump moving exactly 20 liters per minute fails inspection; one moving 25 passes." In this spec, what does the symbol ">" require?

Plant study: "Twenty seedlings got the new fertilizer. The control group got none, but had the same light, soil and water, so any difference must come from the fertilizer." What does "control" mean here?

Design note: "Keep the soil, the light and the water identical in every pot. The only variable is the fertilizer, the one thing we change on purpose." As used here, what does "variable" mean?

Step 3: "Dilute the cleaner. Pour 250 milliliters of the concentrate into the bucket, then add 12 liters of water before you begin." As used in step 3, what does "dilute" mean?

Shade test: "Sunlight passed through the thin curtain, but the opaque blind blocked it completely, and the room behind that blind stayed dark at noon." As used here, what does "opaque" mean?

Shop rule: "Store the paint thinner away from the heater. The liquid is flammable, and a single spark near an open can is enough to start a fire." As used here, what does "flammable" mean?

Step 6: "Let the tube stand until the grit settles. Then decant: tip the tube slowly and pour off the clear liquid, leaving the grit behind." As used in step 6, what does "decant" mean?

Step 2 of the dye process: "Agitate the bath for one minute. Swirl the pan and lift the cloth up and down so the dye reaches every fold." As used in step 2, what does "agitate" mean?

Finishing guide: "Rub the surface with the abrasive pad. Its rough grit scratches the old paint away, while a soft cloth lifts none of it." As used here, what does "abrasive" mean?

Wrench manual: "Apply 40 newton-meters of torque. The number tells you how hard the wrench twists the bolt, not how far the bolt travels." As used here, what does "torque" mean?

Seed packet: "The seeds stay dormant through the cold months and show no growth at all. Once the soil warms, roots appear within a week." As used here, what does "dormant" mean?

Alarm manual: "The threshold is 40 degrees Celsius. Below that reading the fan runs quietly; at 40 or above, the alarm sounds and the fan speeds up." As used here, what does "threshold" mean?

Step 5: "Purge the line before starting. Open the valve and let gas flow until every bubble of trapped air is pushed out the far end." As used in step 5, what does "purge" mean?

Repair note: "Slip the rubber gasket between the two metal flanges. Squeezed flat by the bolts, it fills the gap so no water leaks from the joint." As used here, what does "gasket" mean?

Maintenance card: "Add a lubricant to the chain. The oil coats the links so metal slides on metal instead of grinding, and the squeak stops." As used here, what does "lubricant" mean?

Table caption: "Rainfall totals for four towns. * Reading taken by hand after the gauge failed." Only Ashford's total carries the star. What does the star tell the reader about Ashford's number?

Field note: 'The colony held about 200 bats. We counted 20 bats in one small patch of the photograph and multiplied by ten.' What does the word 'about' show about the 200?

Wiring note: "The rubber sleeve is an insulator. The current stays inside the copper and does not pass into the hand holding the wire." As used above, "insulator" names a material that blocks the flow of current.

Rock guide: "Granite is porous. Rainwater seeps into tiny openings all through the stone, and in winter that trapped water can freeze there." As used above, "porous" means the stone is solid throughout, with no openings.