Physical science

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Physical science is an encompassing term for the branches of natural science, and science (generally), that study non-living systems, in contrast to the biological sciences. However, the term "physical" creates an unintended, somewhat arbitrary distinction, since many branches of physical science also study biological phenomena. Note that mathematics is not a physical science.

any principles of experimentation developed in the physical sciences have been adopted and built upon in the science of psychology.

Basic physical science topics of interest to psychologists include include:

The branches of physical science:

• Chemistry - the science dealing with the composition of substances, their interactions with energy and each other
• Physics - the quantitative science dealing with matter and energy

Basic principles of the physical sciences

The foundations of the physical sciences rests upon key concepts and theories, each of which explains and/or models a particular aspect of the behavior of nature. As in other sciences, these key concepts and theories came to discovery using the scientific method, which must be found using scientific evidence:

Basic principles of chemistry

Chemistry is the science of matter mainly at the micro-level. Its studies include the following:

• Atomic theory
  • Principles of quantum mechanics
  • The discovery and classification of pure elements
  • Dmitri Mendeleev's creation of The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements showing the relationship of chemical elements
  • Properties of groups, especially metals, and nonmetals
• Water and its properties
  • Structure of the water molecule
  • Properties of water solutions, such as acids, bases, acid-base reaction theories, and salts
• Chemical elements, chemical reactions, and chemical energy
  • Chemical bonds
  • Chemical formula based on chemical notation developed by Jöns Jakob Berzelius's
  • Chemical compounds
  • Chemical equations
• Nuclear chemistry
  • The nature of the atomic nucleus
  • Characterization of radioactive decay, originally discoverd by Henri Becquerel
• Organic chemistry, considered to have started in 1828 with the synthesis of urea by Friedrich Woehler
  • Hydrocarbons, (see also Gallery Hydrocarbons)
  • Hydrocarbon derivatives
  • Organic chemistry functional groups

Basic principles of physics

Physics is the "fundamental science" because the other natural sciences (biology, chemistry, geology, etc.) deal with systems that obey the laws of physics. The physical laws of matter, energy, and the forces of nature govern the interactions between particles (such as molecules, atoms, or subatomic particles). Some basic principles of physics are:

• Describing and measuring motion
  • Newton's laws of motion
  • Forces, weight, and mass
  • Momentum and conservation of momentum
• The theory of gravity
• Energy, work, and power
  • Motion, position, and energy

Energy forms

• • Energy conservation, conversion, and transfer.
  • Energy sources
• Kinetic Molecular Theory
  • Phases of matter and phase changes
  • Temperature and thermometers
  • Energy and heat
  • Heat flow: conduction, convection, and radiation
  • The Three Laws of thermodynamics
• The principles of waves and sound
• The principles of electricity, magnetism, and electromagnetism
• The principles, sources, and properties of light

See also

• History of science
• Physicists

External links

• PSI gate - Physical Sciences Information Gateway.
• Physical Sciences Resource Center, for education
• Astronomy: Sky and Telescope magazine
• Chemistry: General Chemistry Online
• Earth science: Earth Science World
• Physics: Physics Centralv

References

Tillery, B.W. (2005), Physical Science, 6/e, New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-250978-3 (Hardcover) ISBN 0-07-292207-9 (Paperback)