The Branches of Science – A more in-depth description.

In the broadest sense, any system of objective knowledge is called Science. That knowledge is acquiredbased on the scientific method and what has been discovered through research. There are hundreds ofdifferent branches, divisions, and subdivisions of scientific study. In this article, we will only brush acrossthe four major branches and their important subsets. The four main branches of scientific study arecalled Natural, Formal, Social, and Applied sciences.

Natural Sciences is broad, overall term used for sciences that study the natural world. This is separatefrom Social Sciences, which applies to the human condition. The category of Natural Sciences is dividedinto two separate branches, Physical and Life Sciences.

Physical Science is the branch of natural sciences that study non-living systems. They include Physics,which is the study of matter and its motions through space and time. Or more simply, it is the study ofhow the universe behaves. Chemistry studies matter at the atomic scale, such as molecules, crystals, andmetals. It also studies their properties and interactions.

Astronomy is the study of celestial objects like starts, planets, comets, etc. that originate outside theEarth’s atmosphere. It is one of the oldest sciences, with evidence dating back to prehistoric times, forexample, the construction of Stonehenge and many Egyptian monuments.

Earth Science is the broad term for the study of all sciences relating to our planet and understanding howthe systems of the Earth work. And Environmental Sciences is the study of Earth’s environment thatbrings together several different disciplines like Biology, Chemistry and Geology.

The next main branch of scientific study is known as Life Sciences, which is the natural science thatstudies life and living organisms. Also known as Biology, this branch of science is focused on the origin,function, structure, growth, evolution, and distribution of life.

Another main branch of science is known as Formal Sciences. This area of study focuses on formalsystems like Computer science, which covers all aspects of computer studies, theories, computations,graphics, and many different subsets that deal with computers. Mathematics is the study of structure,space, quantity, and change. Through logical reasoning, mathematics has evolved from simple counting,calculation, and measurement to study shapes and motions of physical objects. Statistics is similar toMathematics, but the focus is on the collection, organization and interpretation of data. It includes theplanning of data collection in the area of designing surveys and experiments. Systems science combinesdifferent fields that studies the area of complex systems found in nature, society and of science itself.

The next main branch of scientific studies is Social Sciences. This is an umbrella term for collection ofstudies concerned with the fields outside of natural sciences beginning with Anthropology, which involvesthe study of humanity, such as what defines the human species, their ancestors, the physical traits andbehavior that fall into that area.

Economics concerns itself with the study of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Linguistics deals with the study of languages, their form, meaning and content.

Psychology is focused on behavior and mental processes of both individuals and groups and covers alarge number of different disciplines within human behavior. Geography is the study of the relationshipsof the lands, features, inhabitants and phenomena of the Earth.

Philosophy is the study of problems connected with addressing the issues of existence, knowledge, values and reason of humanity. Political Science studies the state of government and politics. And Sociologyuses methods of investigation and analysis to define the body of knowledge about human social activity.

The final main branch in the field of science is known as Applied Sciences. This is the application of scientific knowledge to a physical environment. A few examples of this field begin with Agronomy, which deals with includes all areas of the utilization of plants. Architecture is the planning, designing and construction of buildings.

Education deals with the transmission of knowledge, skills, and values from one generation to another.Engineering combines mathematical, economic, social and practical knowledge to design and build machines, devices and structures. Health also combines different fields devoted to the delivery of healthcare. Management is oriented towards all aspects of controlling an organization of people for the purpose of accomplishing goals. Spatial also combines different scientific fields to study primarily measurements, management, and analysis of spatial information. And finally Military Science concerns all aspects of defense systems, organization, history and the study of military theories.

And within all the branches of science mentioned, there are hundreds of subsets and other divisions ofstudy. We have only scratched the surface of the vast, intricate world of the study known as science.