From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Outline of physical science
Physical science is an encompassing term
for the branches of natural science and sci-
ence that study non-living systems, in con-
trast to the biological sciences. However, the
term "physical" creates an unintended, some-
what arbitrary distinction, since many
branches of physical science also study biolo-
gical phenomena.
The following outline is presented as an
overview of and topical guide to physical
science:
General 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 as-
pect of the behavior of nature.
Basic principles of astronomy
Astronomy is the science of celestial bodies
and their interactions in space. Its studies in-
cludes the following:
• The life and characteristics of stars and
galaxies
Origins of the universe - Physical science
uses the Big Bang theory as the commonly
accepted scientific theory of the origin of the
universe.
• The structure of the solar system, planets,
comets, asteroids, and meteors.
• The Earth’s shape and structure
• Earth in the Solar System
• Time measurement
• The composition and features of the Moon
• Interactions of the Earth and Moon
(Note: Astronomy should not be confused
with astrology, which assumes that people’s
destiny and human affairs in general are cor-
related to the apparent positions of astro-
nomical objects in the sky)"
Basic principles of chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter mainly at
the micro-level. Chemistry can be called "the
central science" because it connects the oth-
er natural sciences, such as astronomy,
1
Outline of physical science
physics, material science, biology, and geo-
logy. 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 energy transformations
• Chemical bonds
• Chemical formula based on chemical
notation developed by Jöns Jakob
Berzelius’s
• Chemical compounds
• Chemical equations
• Chemical thermodynamics
• Nuclear chemistry
• The nature of the atomic nucleus
• Characterization of radioactive decay,
originally discovered by Henri
Becquerel
• Organic chemistry, considered to have
started in 1828 with the synthesis of urea
by Friedrich Woehler
• Hydrocarbons
• Organic chemistry functional groups
Basic principles of earth science
Earth science is the science of the planet
Earth, the only known life-bearing planet. Its
studies include the following:
• Rocks and minerals
• The water cycle and the process of
transpiration
• Freshwater, surface water, groundwater
• Oceanography
• Geology
• Weathering and erosion
• Rocks
• Agrophysics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Soil science
• Pedogenesis
• Soil fertility
• Earth’s tectonic structure
• Geomorphology and geophysics
• Physical geography
• Seismology: Stress, strain, and
earthquakes
• Characteristics of mountains and
volcanoes
• Characteristics and formation of fossils
• Atmosphere of earth
• Atmospheric pressure and winds
• Evaporation, condensation, and
humidity
• Fog and clouds
• Meteorology, weather, climatology, and
climate
• Hydrology, clouds and precipitation
• Air masses and weather fronts
• Major storms: thunderstorms,
tornadoes, and hurricanes
• Major climate groups
• Speleology
• Cave
Basic principles of physics
Physics is the "fundamental science" because
the other natural sciences (biology, chem-
istry, geology, etc.) deal with systems that
obey the laws of physics. The physical laws of
matter, energy, and the forces of nature gov-
ern 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 sourceis the transfer of energy
from one source, too work in another.
• 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
2
Outline of physical science
• The principles of waves and sound
• The principles of electricity, magnetism,
and electromagnetism
• The principles, sources, and properties of
light
Notable physical
scientists
• - a Persian scientist who is regarded as
the father of geodesy, has been described
as the "first anthropologist", and is
considered one of the earliest geologists.
• - was a Persian alchemist, chemist,
physician, philosopher and scholar. As an
alchemist, Razi is known for his study of
sulfuric acid. He also discovered ethanol
and refined its use in medicine.Cojer
• - an Iraqi scientist who wrote the Book of
Optics, is regarded as the father of optics
and the pioneer of the scientific method,
and has been described as the "first
scientist".
• - a Greek mathematician, physicist,
engineer, inventor, and astronomer. He is
considered to be the first mathematical
physicist on record. He established the
laws of statics, buoyancy, and center of
gravity.
• - the last of the three great influential
ancient Greek philosophers, although not
considered to be a scientist by today’s
standards, nevertheless, he influenced the
development of the later scientific method
by espousing the view that knowledge
should be based on empiricism instead of
intuition or faith.
• - Aryabhata was the first in the line of
brilliant mathematician-astronomers of
classical Indian mathematics, whose major
work was the Aryabhatiya and the
Aryabhatta-siddhanta. Aryabhatiya
presented a number of innovations in
mathematics and astronomy in verse form,
which were influential for many centuries.
• a French nobleman prominent in the
histories of chemistry, finance, biology,
and economics. He stated the first version
of the law of conservation of mass,
recognized and named oxygen and
hydrogen, abolished the phlogiston theory,
introduced the metric system, wrote the
first extensive list of elements, and helped
to reform chemical nomenclature. He
introduced the concept of the finite nature
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Outline of physical science

of matter and discovered that, although • - an astronomer and physicist, is

matter may change its form or shape, its
mass always remains the same.
• - a Scottish physicist, considered one of
the greatest of all time. His work included
combining the electrical and magentic
forces into the electromagnetic force, as
well as deriving his famous Maxwell’s
equations in electomagnetism, and
Maxwell’s relations in thermodynamics.
• - an Elizabethan philosopher, is credited
with the philosophical advocation for the
Baconian method, an early forerunner of
the scientific method.
• - an Irish natural philosopher, is regarded
as the "The birds are blue and the cows
brown" due to his distinction between
chemistry and alchemy. His namesake is
Boyle’s Law of an ideal gas, which he
discovered, but his contributions to
physical science include the definition of a
chemical element, the propagation of
sound, among others.
• - a Polish mathematician and economist, is
considered by many to be the "father of
modern astronomy" due to his detailed
explanation of the heliocentric (Sun-
centered) solar system.
• - a Polish-born French chemist, was the
first female Nobel laureate, the first two-
time Nobel laureate, and one of only two
individuals to receive the Nobel prize in
two different fields. She and her husband,
Pierre Curie discovered the two elements
Polonium and Radium.
• - a theoretical physicist, is widely
regarded as the greatest scientist of the
20th century. He proposed the theory of
relativity and was awarded the 1921
Nobel Prize for Physics, among other
accomplishments.
• - Swiss, is considered to be one of the
greatest mathematicians of all times. His
contributions to science includes the
Euler-Bournoulli beam equation and Euler
equations.
considered the "father of modern physics,"
"father of modern science", and "father of
science" due, in large part, to his conflict
with the Roman Catholic Church over the
authority of science. However, he has
equally impressive scientific contributions
to the fields of mechanics, astronomy, and
mathematical physics.
• - a Persian scientist regarded as the father
of chemistry, due to his introduction of an
experimental method in the field, and for
freeing it from superstition and turning it
into a science.
• - a Scottish geologist, is considered to be
the "father of modern geology," for his
formulation of uniformitarianism, that the
same geological processes operating today
operated in the distant past. Based upon
that assumption, he maintained that the
age of the earth must be much older than
a few thousand years.
• - a scientist and mathematician, is most
renowned for his description of the laws of
motion and law of universal gravitation.
• - an American quantum chemist and
biochemist, widely regarded as the
premier chemist of the twentieth century.
A pioneer in the application of quantum
mechanics to chemistry, and one of the
founders of molecular biology.
• - a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, is
considered to be the father of science
becaused he first encouraged naturalistic
explanations of the world, without the
supernatural.
Universities offering
named degrees in physic-
al science
• Open University: BSc(Hons) Physical
Science

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Categories: Natural sciences, Physics, Scientific terminology

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