Everything about Natural Science totally explained
In
science, the term
natural science refers to a
rational approach to the study of the
universe, which is understood as obeying rules or law of
natural origin. The term
natural science is also used to distinguish those fields that use the
scientific method to study
nature from the
social sciences, which use the scientific method to study human behavior and society; and from the
formal sciences, such as
mathematics and
logic, which use a different (
a priori)
methodology.
Overview
Natural sciences form the basis for the
applied sciences. Together, the natural and applied sciences are distinguished from the
social sciences on the one hand, and from the and the
liberal arts (
humanities,
theology, etc.) on the other. Though
Mathematics,
statistics, and
computer science are not considered natural sciences, they provide many tools and frameworks used within the natural sciences.
Alongside this traditional usage, the phrase
natural sciences is also sometimes used more narrowly to refer to its everyday usage, that is, related to
natural history. In this sense "natural sciences" may refer to the
biology and perhaps also the
earth sciences, as distinguished from the
physical sciences, including
astronomy,
physics, and
chemistry.
Within the natural sciences, the term
hard science is sometimes used to describe those sub-fields that rely on experimental,
quantifiable data or the
scientific method and focus on accuracy and objectivity. These usually include physics, chemistry and many of the sub-fields of biology. By contrast,
soft science is often used to describe the scientific fields that are more reliant on qualitative research, including the social sciences.
There is some research, collectivelly known as
graphism thesis, that indicates that natural science relies on
graphs more than soft sciences and mathematics do.
History
Prior to the 17th century, the objective study of nature was known as
natural philosophy. Over the next two centuries, however, a philosophical interpretation of nature was gradually replaced by a scientific approach using
inductive methodology. The works of
Sir Francis Bacon popularized this approach, thereby helping to forge the
scientific revolution.
By the 19th century the study of science had come into the purview of professionals and institutions, and in so doing it gradually acquired the more modern name of natural science. The term
scientist was coined by
William Whewell in an 1834 review of
Mary Somerville's
On the Connexion of the Sciences. However the word didn't enter general use until nearly the end of the same century.
According to a famous 1923 textbook
Thermodynamics – and the Free Energy of Chemical Substances by the American chemist
Gilbert N. Lewis and the American physical chemist
Merle Randall, the natural sciences contain three great branches:
Aside from the logical and mathematical sciences, there are three great branches of natural science which stand apart by reason of the variety of far reaching deductions drawn from a small number of primary postulates – they're the mechanics, electrodynamics, and thermodynamics. |
Disciplines of natural sciences
Astronomy
This discipline is the science of
celestial objects and
phenomena that originate outside the
Earth's atmosphere. It is concerned with the evolution,
physics,
chemistry,
meteorology, and
motion of celestial objects, as well as the
formation and development of the universe. Astronomy includes the examination, study and modeling of
stars,
planets,
comets,
galaxies and the
cosmos. Most of the information used by astronomers is gathered by remote observation, although some laboratory reproduction of celestial phenomenon has been performed (such as the molecular chemistry of the
interstellar medium.)
While the origins of the study of celestial features and phenomenon can be traced back to antiquity, the scientific methodology of this field began to develop in the middle of the seventeenth century. A key factor was
Galileo's introduction of the telescope to examine the night sky in more detail. The mathematical treatment of astronomy began with
Newton's development of
celestial mechanics and the laws of
gravitation, although it was triggered by earlier work of astronomers such as
Kepler. By the nineteenth century, astronomy had developed into a formal science with the introduction of instruments such as the
spectroscope and
photography, along with much improved telescopes and the creation of professional observatories.
Biology
This field encompasses a set of disciplines that examines
phenomena related to living organisms. The scale of study can range from sub-component
biophysics up to complex
ecologies. Biology is concerned with the
characteristics,
classification and
behaviors of
organisms, as well as how
species were formed and their interactions with each other and the
environment.
The biological fields of
botany,
zoology, and
medicine date back to early periods of civilization, while
microbiology was introduced in the 17th century with the invention of the microscope. However it wasn't until the 19th century that biology became a unified science; once scientists discovered commonalities between all living things it was decided they were best studied as a whole. Some key developments in the science of biology were the discovery of
genetics;
Darwin's theory of
evolution through
natural selection; the
germ theory of disease and the application of the techniques of
chemistry and
physics at the level of the
cell or
organic molecule.
Modern Biology is divided into sub-disciplines by the type of organism and by the scale being studied.
Molecular biology is the study of the fundamental chemistry of life, while
cellular biology is the examination of the cell; the basic building block of all life. At a higher level,
Physiology looks at the internal structure of organism, while
ecology looks at how various organisms interrelate.
Chemistry
Constituting the scientific study of matter at the
atomic and
molecular scale, chemistry deals primarily with collections of atoms, such as
gases, molecules,
crystals, and
metals. The composition, statistical properties, transformations and reactions of these materials are studied. Chemistry also involves understanding the properties and interactions of individual atoms for use in larger-scale applications. Most chemical processes can be studied directly in a laboratory, using a series of (often well-tested) techniques for manipulating materials, as well as an understanding of the underlying processes. Chemistry is often called "
the central science" because of its role in connecting the other natural sciences.
Early experiments in chemistry had their roots in the system of
Alchemy, a set of beliefs combining mysticism with physical experiments. The science of chemistry began to develop with the work of
Robert Boyle, the discoverer of gas, and
Antoine Lavoisier, who developed the theory of the
Conservation of mass. The
discovery of the chemical elements and the concept of
Atomic Theory began to systematize this science, and researchers developed a fundamental understanding of
states of matter,
ions,
chemical bonds and
chemical reactions. The success of this science led to a complementary
chemical industry that now plays a significant role in the world economy.
Earth science
Earth science (also known as
geoscience,
the geosciences or
the Earth Sciences), is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet
Earth, including
geology,
geophysics,
hydrology,
meteorology,
physical geography,
oceanography, and
soil science.
Although
mining and
precious stones have been human interests throughout the history of civilization, their development into the sciences of
economic geology and
mineralogy didn't occur until the 18th century. The study of the earth, particularly
palaeontology, blossomed in the 19th century and the growth of other disciplines like
geophysics in the 20th century led to the development of the theory of
plate tectonics in the 1960s, which has had a similar impact on the Earth sciences as the theory of evolution had on biology. Earth sciences today are closely linked to
climate research and the
petroleum and
mineral exploration industries.
Physics
Physics embodies the study of the fundamental constituents of the
universe, the
forces and interactions they exert on one another, and the results produced by these interactions. In general, physics is regarded as the fundamental science as all other natural sciences utilize and obey the principles and laws set down by the field. Physics relies heavily on
mathematics as the logical framework for formulation and quantification of principles.
The study of the principles of the universe has a long history and largely derives from direct observation and experimentation. The formulation of theories about the governing laws of the universe has been central to the study of physics from very early on, with
philosophy gradually yielding to systematic, quantitative experimental testing and observation as the source of verification. Key historical developments in physics include
Isaac Newton's
theory of universal gravitation and
classical mechanics, an understanding of
electricity and it's relation to
magnetism,
Einstein's theories of
special and
general relativity, the development of
thermodynamics, and the
quantum mechanical model of atomic and subatomic physics.
The field of physics is extremely broad, and can include such diverse studies as
quantum mechanics and
theoretical physics to
applied physics and
optics. Modern physics is becoming increasingly specialized, where researchers tend to focus on a particular area rather than being "universalists" like
Albert Einstein and
Lev Landau, who worked in multiple areas.
Cross-disciplines
The distinctions between the natural science disciplines are not always sharp, and they share a number of cross-discipline fields. Physics plays a significant role in the other natural sciences, as represented by
astrophysics,
geophysics,
physical chemistry and
biophysics. Likewise chemistry is represented by such fields as
biochemistry,
geochemistry and
astrochemistry.
A particular example of a scientific discipline that draws upon multiple natural sciences is
environmental science. This field studies the interactions of physical, chemical and biological components of the
environment, with a particular regard to the effect of human activities and the impact on
biodiversity and
sustainability. This science also draws upon expertise from other fields such as economics, law and social sciences.
A comparable discipline is
oceanography, as it draws upon a similar breadth of scientific disciplines. Oceanography is sub-categorized into more specialized cross-displines, such as
physical oceanography and
marine biology. As the
marine ecosystem is very large and diverse, marine biology is further divided into many subfields, including specializations in particular
species.
There are also a subset of cross-disciplinary fields which, by the nature of
the problems that they address, have strong currents that run counter to
specialization. Put another way: In some fields of integrative application,
specialists in more than one field are a key part of most dialog. Such
integrative fields, for example, include
nanoscience,
astrobiology,
and
complex system informatics.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Natural Science'.
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