The map of science
Science isn't one subject — it's a family of them, each asking a different question about the same universe. The boundaries are blurry on purpose: the most interesting work often happens where two fields meet.
Chemistry
“How do substances combine and change?”
What stuff is made of and how it rearranges — atoms, bonds, reactions, and the periodic patterns of the elements.
Physics
“How do matter and energy behave?”
The rules underneath everything else: motion, forces, energy, and the particles and fields that make up the universe.
Biology
“How does life work?”
Living systems from molecules to ecosystems — cells, genes, organisms, and how they grow, reproduce, and evolve.
Earth & Space
“How do planets, oceans, and stars work?”
Our planet and the cosmos it sits in — geology, weather, oceans, and where astronomy meets the rest of science.
Where does astronomy fit?
Astronomy is the study of everything beyond Earth. It isn't really a separate branch so much as physics and chemistry applied at the largest scales — hence astrophysics (how stars burn and galaxies move) and astrochemistry (what space is made of). We file it under Earth & Space.
The scale ladder
From the tiniest particles to the whole universe — every rung is a scale of nature. Click a rung to see which fields study it. Notice how they overlap: physics runs top to bottom, while chemistry and biology share the middle.
The scale ladder
larger ↑~10⁻¹⁰ m
Atoms
The smallest unit of an element.
Studied by
- Where physics meets chemistry: physical chemistry
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