Natural science disciplines

Natural science disciplines investigate the physical universe and living systems through observation, measurement, and experiment. Their branches include physics, chemistry, biology, Earth science, and astronomy.

Connect

Physics: The science of matter, energy, motion, and the fundamental interactions of nature. It studies general laws that underpin many other natural sciences.
Scientific method: A systematic approach to investigating questions through evidence, testing, and revision. Its practices provide a common framework for investigating natural phenomena.
Formal science: Disciplines that study abstract structures through deductive reasoning, including mathematics and logic. Unlike natural sciences, formal sciences do not primarily test claims against physical observations.
Scientific revolution: A major transformation in European science during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, marked by new methods and theories. Its changes helped establish modern approaches to studying the natural world.
Chemistry: The science of substances, their properties, and the transformations they undergo. It explains how matter is composed and how it changes.
Observation: The deliberate collection of information about phenomena using the senses or instruments. Direct and instrument-assisted observation supplies evidence across the disciplines.
Social science: Disciplines that systematically study human societies, behavior, and institutions. Its central subject is social life rather than the natural world.
Industrial Revolution: The period of rapid industrialization beginning in Britain in the eighteenth century and spreading elsewhere. Knowledge of physical and chemical processes enabled and was expanded by industrial technologies.
Biology: The science of living organisms and the processes that sustain and shape life. It focuses on life, from molecular processes to ecosystems.
Experiment: A controlled investigation that tests how changing conditions affects an outcome. Experiments help distinguish causal explanations from mere patterns.