WHAT ARE THE BRANCHES OF SCIENCE? - SCIENCE - 2025

The branches of science are mainly divided into three groups: natural sciences, formal sciences, and social sciences. Each of them has specific objects of study and methodologies.

-Natural science: they study natural phenomena and nature, cover all physical aspects of reality.

-Social Sciences: they study the human factors of reality, human behavior and societies.

-Formal science: they are precise, they study mathematics and logic, they are not based on experimentation but on mental abstraction and reasoning.

Natural Sciences

Composed of all science that studies matter, energy, their interrelation and transformation. Study the physical and natural aspect of the world and the phenomena that occur in nature.

Observation is a fundamental part of it and because it is an empirical science, it justifies and verifies the information obtained through experimentation.

It covers a large area of ​​knowledge and seeks to decipher the theories and laws that govern the natural world.

It, in turn, is divided into physical sciences and life sciences.

Physical sciences

Disciplines focused on the study of the natural phenomena of the earth, atmosphere and space.

Physical scientists are people who enjoy studying the earth, its components and processes.

It includes several fields and branches:

-Physics: it is not the same as physical science. Physics is a branch of the natural sciences that is responsible for studying matter (bodies) and their movement through space and time, as well as their relationship with energy and force in order to understand how the universe and its environment. It analyzes the transformations or physical phenomena and is closely related to the other branches of the natural sciences. It is one of the oldest academic disciplines, dates back to ancient times, its beginnings can be traced to the first experiments of Galileo in the second half of the 16th century. It is divided into different branches.

-Chemistry: studies matter and the changes it undergoes at the atomic and molecular level. Physics is also in charge of studying the subject but with a different focus, objective and topic, in addition, in terms of their ranges and methods, they have different roles. It is a science that allows connection with other natural sciences, for that reason, it is often called "central science." It has two main branches: organic chemistry, which studies the compounds made up of carbon; and inorganic chemistry, which studies compounds that are not made of carbon.

-Earth science: also called geoscience, it studies the materials with which the Earth is composed, its structure, morphology, evolution and dynamics. It offers us the opportunity to understand the reason for the natural phenomena that have favored and threatened human life. It includes the study of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, oceans, biosphere and the solid surface of the earth.

-Geology: it is in charge of studying the planet Earth and everything that composes it, processes that take place inside the earth, in the rocks, atmosphere, earth's crust, etc. Geologists work to understand the history of our planet, the better they can understand it, the easier they will be able to foresee future events as a result of the influence of the past.

-Ecology: it is dedicated to the study of the relationships that living organisms have among themselves and with the environment.

-Oceanography: marine science that studies the ocean, among its objects of study are: marine organisms, ecosystem dynamics, waves, tectonic plates, properties of chemicals found in the ocean, etc.

-Meteorology: it is dedicated to the study of the atmosphere, atmospheric phenomena and their effects on the climate. Meteorologists use the scientific method to observe, explain, and predict the weather.

-Space Science or Astronomy: study everything related to outer space, planets, stars, space travel, space exploration, etc.

life sciences

It includes all the sciences that have as their object of study the biological aspect, the life of organisms, plants, animals and humans.

-Biology: science that is dedicated to the study of living things, their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution and taxonomy. It contains many branches, subdivisions, topics, and disciplines.

-Zoology: studies animals and animal life, including their structure, physiology, development, behavior and classification.

-Botany: scientific study of plants, their structure, growth, reproduction, metabolism, development, diseases, chemical properties, etc.

Social Sciences

It is basically an empirical science that focuses on the study of society, the way individuals behave, and their influence on the world.

It tells us about the world beyond our immediate experience, gives us a much broader vision, and explains how society works.

It ranges from the causes of unemployment, how and why people vote to what makes people happy.

Among some of the social sciences we can find:

Sciences related to social organization

-Politics: science that is dedicated to the study of the government and the organization of states.

-Sociology: studies human societies and all the phenomena that occur in them.

-Law: science that studies the laws and control of social order.

-Anthropology: studies the individual as a whole.

-Geography: studies the Earth, the ecological environment and the societies that inhabit it.

-Sciences related to economic organization:

-Economy: studies the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services locally, regionally or nationally.

-Behavioral science:

-Psychology: science that is dedicated to studying mental processes.

Formal sciences

It is not an empirical science, it is not concerned with the validation of theories based on observation but with the formation of systems based on definitions and rules.

It is subdivided into several branches, which are analytical unlike the social and natural sciences which are empirical.

-Statistics: includes the study, collection, organization and interpretation of data.

-Logic: it is based on valid inference and proof.

-Mathematics: study the properties and relationships of abstract entities.

-Computer science: study of all the procedures that allow information to be transmitted digitally.

Applied Science

It is based on the application and transfer of scientific knowledge to a physical environment, that is, implementing science in daily life and its immediate problems. It takes the information you already have and applies it to solve a problem.

It can be used within the biological sciences and physical sciences.

Some examples of applied science are:

• Engineering
• Medicine
• Biotechnology
• Agronomy
• Architecture
• electronics
• Computing.

References

1. McDaniel, Mellisa; Sprout, Erin; Boudreau, Diane; Turgeon, Andrew. (2012). "Meteorology". From nationalgeographic.org.
2. Osler, Margaret; Spencer, J & Brush, Stephen (2016). "Physical Science". From britannica.com.
3. Porto, Julián & Merino, María (2009). "Definition of Natural Sciences". Definition of.