Branches of science
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The branches of science, also referred to as
- Formal sciences: the study of formal systems, such as those under the branches of logic and mathematics, which use an a priori, as opposed to empirical, methodology. They study abstract structures described by formal systems.
- biological factors of the universe). Natural science can be divided into two main branches: physical science and life science (or biology).
- Social sciences and the humanities: the study of human behavior in its social and cultural aspects.[1]
Scientific knowledge must be based on observable phenomena and must be capable of being verified by other researchers working under the same conditions.[2] This verifiability may well vary even within a scientific discipline.[3][4]
Natural, social, and formal science make up the
Formal sciences
The formal sciences are the branches of science that are concerned with formal systems, such as logic, mathematics, theoretical computer science, information theory, systems theory, decision theory, statistics.
Unlike other branches, the formal sciences are not concerned with the validity of
Logic
Logic (from
It has traditionally included the classification of arguments; the systematic exposition of the
.Historically, logic has been studied in philosophy (since ancient times) and mathematics (since the mid-19th century). More recently, logic has been studied in cognitive science, which draws on computer science, linguistics, philosophy and psychology, among other disciplines.
Data science
Information science
Mathematics
Mathematics, in the broadest sense, is just a synonym of formal science; but traditionally mathematics means more specifically the coalition of four areas: arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and analysis, which are, to some degree, the study of quantity, structure, space, and change respectively.
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, and interpretation of
A statistician is someone who is particularly well versed in the ways of thinking necessary for the successful application of statistical analysis. Such people have often gained this experience through working in any of a wide number of fields. There is also a discipline called mathematical statistics, which is concerned with the theoretical basis of the subject.
The word statistics, when referring to the scientific discipline, is singular, as in "Statistics is an art."[12] This should not be confused with the word statistic, referring to a quantity (such as mean or median) calculated from a set of data,[13] whose plural is statistics ("this statistic seems wrong" or "these statistics are misleading").
Systems theory
Systems theory is the
In this context the word systems is used to refer specifically to self-regulating systems, i.e. that are self-correcting through feedback. Self-regulating systems are found in nature, including the physiological systems of the human body, in local and global ecosystems, and climate.
Decision theory
Decision theory (or the theory of choice not to be confused with choice theory) is the study of an agent's choices.[14] Decision theory can be broken into two branches: normative decision theory, which analyzes the outcomes of decisions or determines the optimal decisions given constraints and assumptions, and descriptive decision theory, which analyzes how agents actually make the decisions they do.
Decision theory is closely related to the field of game theory[15] and is an interdisciplinary topic, studied by economists, statisticians, psychologists, biologists,[16] political and other social scientists, philosophers,[17] and computer scientists.
Empirical applications of this rich theory are usually done with the help of statistical and econometric methods.
Theoretical computer science
Theoretical computer science (TCS) is a subset of general computer science and mathematics that focuses on more mathematical topics of computing, and includes the theory of computation.
It is difficult to circumscribe the theoretical areas precisely. The ACM's Special Interest Group on Algorithms and Computation Theory (SIGACT) provides the following description:[18]
TCS covers a wide variety of topics including
rigor.
Natural sciences
Natural science is a branch of science concerned with the description, prediction, and understanding of
Natural science can be divided into two main branches: life science and physical science. Life science is alternatively known as biology, and physical science is subdivided into branches: physics, chemistry, astronomy and Earth science. These branches of natural science may be further divided into more specialized branches (also known as fields)
Physical science
Physical science is an encompassing term for the branches of natural science that study non-living systems, in contrast to the life sciences. However, the term "physical" creates an unintended, somewhat arbitrary distinction, since many branches of physical science also study biological phenomena. There is a difference between physical science and physics.
Physics
Physics (from
Physics is one of the oldest
Chemistry
Chemistry (the etymology of the word has been much disputed)
Earth science
Earth science (also known as geoscience, the geosciences or the Earth sciences) is an all-embracing term for the
Geology
Geology (from the
Oceanography
Oceanography, or marine science, is the branch of
Meteorology
Meteorology is the
Astronomy
Space science is the study of everything in outer space.[28] This has sometimes been called astronomy, but recently astronomy has come to be regarded as a division of broader space science, which has grown to include other related fields,[29] such as studying issues related to space travel and space exploration (including space medicine), space archaeology[30] and science performed in outer space (see space research).
Biological Science
Life science, also known as biology, is the
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of
Botany
Botany, also called plant science(s), plant biology or phytology, is the
Zoology
Zoology (
Ecology
Ecology (from
Social sciences
Social science is the branch of science devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of society", established in the 19th century. In addition to sociology, it now encompasses a wide array of academic disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, economics, education, history, human geography, law, linguistics, political science, and psychology.
Applied sciences
Applied science is the use of existing scientific knowledge to achieve practical goals, like technology or inventions.
Within
Applied science can also apply formal science, such as statistics and probability theory, as in epidemiology. Genetic epidemiology is an applied science applying both biological and statistical methods.
Relationships between the branches
The relationships between the branches of science are summarized by the table[39]
Science | |||
---|---|---|---|
Formal science | Empirical sciences
| ||
Natural science | Social science | ||
Foundation
|
Pure Mathematics ;
|
Physics; Chemistry; Biology; Earth science; Astronomy |
Economics; Political science; Sociology; Psychology; Anthropology |
Application | Applied Mathematics; Statistics; Computer science
|
Engineering; Agricultural science; Medicine; Pharmacy |
Business administration; Jurisprudence;[verification needed] Pedagogy |
Visualizations and metascience
See also
- Index of branches of science
- List of words ending in ology
- Outline of science
- Branches of philosophy
- Engineering physics
- Human science
Notes
- ^ Also related to λόγος (logos), "word, thought, idea, argument, account, reason, or principle." (Liddell and Scott, 1999).
- atomic hypothesis, as his most compact statement of all scientific knowledge: "If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generations ..., what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words? I believe it is ... that all things are made up of atoms – little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another. ..."[19]
- philosophical world
- Indus Valley civilization, all had a predictive knowledge and a very basic understanding of the motions of the Sun, Moon, and stars.
- ^ Francis Bacon's 1620 Novum Organum was critical in the development of scientific method.
- Chemistry (etymology)for possible origins of this word.
- ^ The pronunciation of zoology as /zuˈɒlədʒi/ is typically regarded as nonstandard, though is not uncommon.
- romanized: khōrā, lit.'χωρα', meaning "dwelling place, distributional area" —quoted from Stauffer (1957).
References
Footnotes
- ^ "social science | History, Disciplines, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
- ^ Popper 2002, p. 20.
- ^ Davide Castelvecchi, Nature Magazine (2015-12-23). "Is String Theory science?". Scientific American. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
- S2CID 147141798. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
- ^ Editorial Staff (March 7, 2008). "Scientific Method: Relationships among Scientific Paradigms". Seed magazine. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Popper 2002, pp. 79–82.
- Perseus Project. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ Harper, Douglas. 2020 [2001]. "logic (n.)." Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- OCLC 957680480.
- ^ ISBN 0-19-920613-9
- ^ "statistics". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- ^ "Statistics". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
- ^ "Statistic". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
- ^ Steele, Katie and Stefánsson, H. Orri, "Decision Theory", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = [1]
- ISBN 9780674728615.
- PMID 28379950.
- ^ Hansson, Sven Ove. "Decision theory: A brief introduction." (2005) Section 1.2: A truly interdisciplinary subject.
- ^ "SIGACT". Retrieved 2017-01-19.
- ISBN 0-201-02116-1.
- ^
ISBN 0-486-66895-9.
Physical science is that department of knowledge which relates to the order of nature, or, in other words, to the regular succession of events.
- ^
H.D. Young; R.A. Freedman (2004). University Physics with Modern Physics (11th ed.). Addison Wesley. p. 2.
Physics is an experimental science. Physicists observe the phenomena of nature and try to find patterns and principles that relate these phenomena. These patterns are called physical theories or, when they are very well established and of broad use, physical laws or principles.
- ^
S. Holzner (2006). Physics for Dummies. ISBN 0-470-61841-8.
Physics is the study of your world and the world and universe around you.
- ^ "Definition of CHEMISTRY". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ "Definition of chemistry | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ "WordNet Search: Earth science". wordnetweb.princeton.edu. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ Harper, Douglas. "geology". Online Etymology Dictionary.
- Perseus Project
- ^ "space science". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ^ National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) – NASA Science
- ^ "Space science | Define Space science at Dictionary.com".
- ^ Based on definition from: "Aquarena Wetlands Project glossary of terms". Texas State University at San Marcos. Archived from the original on 2004-06-08.
- PMID 23159919.
- PMID 26628646.
- ^ "Biological/Biochemistry". acs.org.
- ^ RBG Kew (2016). The State of the World's Plants Report – 2016. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://stateoftheworldsplants.com/report/sotwp_2016.pdf Archived 2016-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Bryophytes (Mosses and liverworts) — The Plant List". www.theplantlist.org.
- ^ "zoology". Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ^ "the definition of ecology". Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ISBN 978-0367562984.
- PMID 32726312.
- ^ a b "Open Alex Data Evolution". observablehq.com. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
Works cited
- Lagemaat, Richard van de (2006). Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-54298-2.
- Popper, Karl R. (2002) [1959]. OCLC 59377149.
- Sandoz, Raphaël. "Interactive Historical Atlas of the Disciplines". University of Geneva. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
External links
- Branches of Science, sciencemirror