---
title: "Outline of natural science"
chunk: 7/12
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_natural_science"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:57:12.306970+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

=== History of the branches of natural science ===
Natural philosophy
History of physical science – history of the branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to the biological sciences. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences". However, the term "physical" creates an unintended, somewhat arbitrary distinction, since many branches of physical science also study biological phenomena (organic chemistry, for example). History of physics – history of the physical science that studies matter and its motion through space-time, and related concepts such as energy and force
History of acoustics – history of the study of mechanical waves in solids, liquids, and gases (such as vibration and sound)
History of agrophysics – history of the study of physics applied to agroecosystems
History of soil physics – history of the study of soil physical properties and processes. History of astrophysics – history of the study of the physical aspects of celestial objects
History of astronomy – history of the studies the universe beyond Earth, including its formation and development, and the evolution, physics, chemistry, meteorology, and motion of celestial objects (such as galaxies, planets, etc.) and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth (such as the cosmic background radiation). History of astrodynamics – history of the application of ballistics and celestial mechanics to the practical problems concerning the motion of rockets and other spacecraft. History of astrometry – history of the branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. History of cosmology – history of the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. History of extragalactic astronomy – history of the branch of astronomy concerned with objects outside our own Milky Way Galaxy
History of galactic astronomy – history of the study of our own Milky Way galaxy and all its contents. History of physical cosmology – history of the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution. History of planetary science – history of the scientific study of planets (including Earth), moons, and planetary systems, in particular those of the Solar System and the processes that form them. History of stellar astronomy – history of the natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, nebulae, star clusters and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth (such as cosmic background radiation)
History of atmospheric physics – history of the study of the application of physics to the atmosphere
History of atomic, molecular, and optical physics – history of the study of how matter and light interact
History of biophysics – history of the study of physical processes relating to biology
History of medical physics – history of the application of physics concepts, theories and methods to medicine. History of neurophysics – history of the branch of biophysics dealing with the nervous system. History of chemical physics – history of the branch of physics that studies chemical processes from the point of view of physics. History of computational physics – history of the study and implementation of numerical algorithms to solve problems in physics for which a quantitative theory already exists. History of condensed matter physics – history of the study of the physical properties of condensed phases of matter. History of cryogenics – history of the cryogenics is the study of the production of very low temperature (below −150 °C, −238 °F or 123K) and the behavior of materials at those temperatures. History of dynamics – history of the study of the causes of motion and changes in motion
History of econophysics – history of the interdisciplinary research field, applying theories and methods originally developed by physicists in order to solve problems in economics
History of electromagnetism – history of the branch of science concerned with the forces that occur between electrically charged particles. History of geophysics – history of the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods
History of materials physics – history of the use of physics to describe materials in many different ways such as force, heat, light and mechanics. History of mathematical physics – history of the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods for such applications and for the formulation of physical theories. History of mechanics – history of the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment. History of biomechanics – history of the study of the structure and function of biological systems such as humans, animals, plants, organs, and cells by means of the methods of mechanics. History of classical mechanics – history of one of the two major sub-fields of mechanics, which is concerned with the set of physical laws describing the motion of bodies under the action of a system of forces. History of continuum mechanics – history of the branch of mechanics that deals with the analysis of the kinematics and the mechanical behavior of materials modeled as a continuous mass rather than as discrete particles. History of fluid mechanics – history of the study of fluids and the forces on them. History of quantum mechanics – history of the branch of physics dealing with physical phenomena where the action is on the order of the Planck constant. History of thermodynamics – history of the branch of physical science concerned with heat and its relation to other forms of energy and work. History of nuclear physics – history of the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. History of optics – history of the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. History of particle physics – history of the branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. History of psychophysics – history of the quantitatively investigates the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they affect. History of plasma physics – history of the state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. History of polymer physics – history of the field of physics that studies polymers, their fluctuations, mechanical properties, as well as the kinetics of reactions involving degradation and polymerisation of polymers and monomers respectively. History of quantum physics – history of the branch of physics dealing with physical phenomena where the action is on the order of the Planck constant. Relativity –
History of statics – history of the branch of mechanics concerned with the analysis of loads (force, torque/moment) on physical systems in static equilibrium, that is, in a state where the relative positions of subsystems do not vary over time, or where components and structures are at a constant velocity.