Difference between chemistry and physics
The difference between chemistry and physics lies in their focus, which the natural sciences place on different things. Their methods and tools are also often very different.
The difference between chemistry and physics makes itself felt in theory as well as in practice.
The difference between physics and chemistry
- The word chemistry comes from the Greek chimeia, which means transformation. Chemistry can be defined as the study of the laws governing the transformation of substances and elements. Alchemy used to be a part of it, but it was given up with the emergence of today's chemistry.
- In physics, on the other hand, the name comes from the ancient Greek physike theoria as natural research and makes it clear that it is more about a basic science that tries to describe all natural systems.
- There are mathematical and applied physics as two subjects. The two sub-directions of chemistry, in turn, are organic and inorganic chemistry.
- In chemistry one always deals with the chemical reactions and chemical bonds of organic resp. inorganic substances. This creates new substances as products from the starting materials called educts and reactants. That Periodic table is an essential tool in chemistry, in which the chemical substances are listed.
- Physics, on the other hand, deals with matter and energy as well as with space and time as the most important issues. It is not limited to chemical substances like chemistry, but deals with all natural laws such as gravity and works a lot with physical formulas.
It is always said that the natural sciences are the most important sciences, here ...
In the physics it is always about physical processes in which only changes in the state of substances and no new substance formations are observed. The chemical composition remains the same, but other aspects of substances such as the physical state are in focus. Chemistry, on the other hand, only deals with the chemical changes in substances leading to new substance formations.
Similarities in the natural sciences
Both Natural sciences but also have a lot in common, for example compared to biology as the third great natural science.
- Both use mathematical formulas and experiments in their research, which both revolve around substances and their natural laws. Both are an integral part of the curriculum as school subjects and both can be studied as subjects.
- In areas like atomic and molecular physics, there is even physical chemistry when the two sciences overlap. Especially when it comes to small particles of matter, both often work together and use the knowledge of the other science for themselves.
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