UNIKIN Medicine Admission Concours key terms

Movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to one of higher solute concentration, until concentrations equalise or pressure stops the flow.

Spontaneous net movement of particles from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration, driven by random thermal motion, without need for external energy input.

Type of cell division producing two genetically identical daughter cells, each with the same chromosome number as the parent, used for growth and repair of tissues.

Reduction division producing four haploid gametes from one diploid cell, involving two successive divisions and crossing-over, which generates genetic diversity in offspring.

Double-stranded molecule carrying genetic information, made of nucleotides with a sugar, phosphate and nitrogenous base, whose sequence encodes proteins and is copied before cell division.

Protein catalyst that speeds up a biochemical reaction by lowering its activation energy, acting on a specific substrate at a site whose shape determines the reaction catalysed.

Process by which chlorophyll-bearing organisms use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen, storing energy in chemical bonds.

Set of reactions in which cells oxidise glucose to release energy stored as ATP, consuming oxygen and producing carbon dioxide and water as waste products.

Capacity of an organism to keep internal conditions such as temperature, pH and blood glucose within narrow limits despite changes in the external environment.

Segment of DNA that carries the instructions for making a functional product, usually a protein, and is transmitted from parents to offspring during reproduction.

One of the alternative versions of a gene that can occupy the same position on a chromosome, and whose combination determines the observable trait in an individual.

The particular combination of alleles an individual carries for a given gene or set of genes, which together with the environment shapes the observable characteristics.

The observable characteristics of an organism, such as appearance, physiology or behaviour, resulting from the interaction between its genotype and environmental factors.

Amount of substance containing as many elementary entities as there are atoms in twelve grams of carbon-12, that is about 6.02 times ten to the twenty-third entities.

Mass of one mole of a substance, expressed in grams per mole, obtained by adding the atomic masses of all atoms in its chemical formula.

Number of moles of solute dissolved in one litre of solution, expressed in moles per litre, and used to calculate amounts in volumetric and titration problems.

Measure of the acidity of an aqueous solution, defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration, with values below seven indicating acidity.

Species that releases hydrogen ions, or accepts an electron pair, in a chemical reaction; in water it increases the hydrogen ion concentration and lowers the pH.

Species that accepts hydrogen ions, or donates an electron pair, in a chemical reaction; in water it increases the hydroxide ion concentration and raises the pH.

Analytical procedure in which a solution of known concentration is added gradually to a measured volume of unknown solution until the equivalence point, allowing the unknown concentration to be calculated.

Chemical bond formed when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons, typically between non-metals, giving each atom a more stable electron arrangement.

Tendency of an atom in a molecule to attract shared electrons towards itself, which explains bond polarity and the direction of many reaction mechanisms.

State of a reversible reaction in which the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are equal, so concentrations of reactants and products remain constant over time.

Substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction by providing an alternative pathway of lower activation energy, without being consumed or changing the equilibrium position.

Chemical reaction involving transfer of electrons from a reducing agent, which is oxidised, to an oxidising agent, which is reduced; oxidation numbers change during the process.

Process in which an external electric current drives a non-spontaneous chemical reaction in an electrolyte, producing chemical change at the electrodes.

Statement that the net force on a body equals its mass times its acceleration; a special case says a body stays at rest or moves uniformly when no net force acts.

Energy a body possesses because of its motion, equal to one half of its mass multiplied by the square of its speed, measured in joules.

Energy stored in a system because of the position of its parts, for example a raised mass in a gravitational field or a stretched spring.

Principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another, so the total energy of an isolated system stays constant.

Relation stating that the current through a conductor is proportional to the voltage across it and inversely proportional to its resistance, written as voltage equals current times resistance.

Force exerted perpendicularly per unit area on a surface, measured in pascals, and transmitted through fluids in all directions according to their depth and density.

Upward buoyant force exerted by a fluid on a body immersed in it, equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by that body.

Function giving the instantaneous rate of change of another function at each point, interpreted geometrically as the slope of the tangent to its curve.

Value that a function or sequence approaches as its input or index approaches a given point, used to define continuity, derivatives and integrals.

Number between zero and one measuring how likely an event is, calculated for equally likely outcomes as the number of favourable outcomes divided by the total number of outcomes.

Weighted average value of a random variable, obtained by multiplying each possible value by its probability and summing the results.

In a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides, allowing a missing side to be calculated.

Branch of mathematics relating the angles and side lengths of triangles through functions such as sine, cosine and tangent, widely used in physics and geometry.

Structured reasoning in which a speaker or writer supports a claim with evidence and logical steps, anticipating objections, in order to persuade a reader or listener.

The main claim or position that a text or speech defends, usually stated clearly and supported throughout by arguments and examples.

Word or phrase such as therefore, however or moreover that makes explicit the logical relation between ideas, guiding the reader through an argument.

Property of a text whose parts are logically linked and consistent, so that each sentence contributes to a single overall meaning without contradiction.

Level of language chosen according to situation and audience, ranging from familiar speech to formal written style, affecting vocabulary, syntax and tone.

Form of deductive reasoning with two premises and a conclusion that follows necessarily from them, for example all humans are mortal, Socrates is human, therefore Socrates is mortal.

Reasoning that moves from general principles to a particular conclusion which must follow if the premises are true, in contrast to induction and analogy.

Reasoning that moves from particular observations to a general conclusion, always provisional because future observations could contradict it, unlike deduction.

Testable proposed explanation for an observed phenomenon, stated so that predictions can be derived from it and checked against experiment.

Quantity or factor in an experiment that can change; the independent variable is manipulated, the dependent variable is measured, and others are held constant.

Group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment under study and serves as a reference for judging the effect observed in the treated group.

Tendency to notice and trust evidence that supports an existing belief while ignoring or discounting evidence that contradicts it, weakening scientific and clinical reasoning.

Approach to development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing economic, social and environmental concerns.

Long-term shift in global temperatures and weather patterns, driven largely by greenhouse gas emissions from human activity, with effects on health, water and food.

Field concerned with protecting and improving the health of whole populations through prevention, health promotion, surveillance and organised collective action rather than individual care alone.

Goal that all people receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship, a central objective of global health policy and of the World Health Organization.