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Natural science

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Natural science is a way to understand our world.

Portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, 1689
Portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, 1689

It focuses on describing and predicting how nature works. Scientists use evidence from what they see and test. This is called empirical evidence. They use tools like math and logic to explain things. These explanations are called the laws of nature.

JKepler
JKepler

To make sure their work is correct, they use peer review. This means other experts check the work. They also use reproducibility. This means others can do the same test to see if it works again.

Natural science is divided into two main branches. The first is life science, which we call biology.

Wilson1900Fig2
Wilson1900Fig2

Biology studies living things and how they act. It looks at everything from tiny cells to large groups of animals. It also studies how species were formed. Scientists look at how living things interact with their environment. This can happen on a very small scale or a very large scale. Some parts of biology look at the chemistry of life. Others look at the internal parts of a body.

The second branch is physical science. This includes several different fields. Physics studies the parts of the universe and how they interact.

HAtomOrbitals
HAtomOrbitals

It uses math to explain how forces work. Chemistry is also a part of physical science.

Caffeine
Caffeine

It is often called the central science. Chemistry studies matter at the level of atoms and molecules. It looks at how these tiny pieces react and change. Earth science studies our planet, including rocks and weather.

Moon Dedal crater
Moon Dedal crater

Astronomy studies objects in space, like stars and galaxies.

Many famous people helped build these sciences. In the 16th century, natural history began to classify plants and animals.

Sanzio 01 Plato Aristotle
Sanzio 01 Plato Aristotle

Later, people like Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton studied nature differently. They debated using math versus using experiments. Robert Boyle helped develop the science of chemistry. He was known as the discoverer of gases. Antoine Lavoisier also helped by creating the theory of mass conservation. In the 19th century, biology became a unified science. This happened when scientists found things all living things share.

You can see natural science in many places today. Planetary science helps us learn about planets and moons.

Moon Dedal crater
Moon Dedal crater

It uses math and robots in space to find answers. Earth science helps us study the climate and our oceans. Even the study of medicine comes from biology. If you look at a tiny cell, you see biology. If you look at the stars, you see astronomy. All these parts work together to explain our huge world.

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🖼️ Images & Media (10)
File:Wilson1900Fig2.jpg
Wilson1900Fig2.jpg
File:Caffeine.svg
Caffeine.svg
File:HAtomOrbitals.png
HAtomOrbitals.png
File:Moon Dedal crater.jpg
Moon Dedal crater.jpg
File:Materials science tetrahedron;structure, processing, performance, and proprerties.svg
Materials science tetrahedron;structure,...
File:Aristotle's model of Inheritance.png
Aristotle's model of Inheritance.png
File:Sanzio 01 Plato Aristotle.jpg
Sanzio 01 Plato Aristotle.jpg
File:JKepler.jpg
JKepler.jpg
File:Portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, 1689.jpg
Portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, 1689.jpg
File:Michelson-Morley experiment (en).svg
Michelson-Morley experiment (en).svg
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