The Role of Chemistry and Physics and its Relationships with Other Sciences

Chemistry and its Importance

Ancient people were not only interested about the physical aspects of nature but also on the composition and behavior of matter, that make up nature.

The Greek philosophers were perhaps the first to formulate theories explaining the behavior of matter. However, they did not test their theories by experimentation because of the view of Aristotle that man can understand nature through logic, which dominated for 2000 years.

Everything that surrounds us is made up of chemicals. The rocks, the plants, the air that you breathe, the food that you eat, and even you are all made up of chemicals. Chemistry is the study of matter and the change matter can undergo. It is used in obtaining information and solutions to problems that affect our lives, such as the problems on how to prevent pollution, proper waste disposal and on how to cure certain diseases. It is the basic tool used extensively in the fields of ecology, engineering, agriculture, photography, metallurgy, nutrition, medicine and dentistry and many others. It is therefore important that each of us should have at least a basic understanding of it.

Chemistry is the science that deals with every kind of matter, from the parts of atoms to the most complex materials of living plants and animals.

Chemistry has provided us with better and cheaper housing. It has increased our food supply and improved our nutrition. It has given us beautiful, easy care fabrics for making our clothing. It has increased our wealth and improved our leisure time. It enables us to travel quickly to the far reaches of the world, and even to other worlds. Chemistry has provided us with luxuries that were not available even to the mightiest kings in ages past. Can you imagine what would life be without chemistry?

Many things, which we enjoy and make life comfortable, are products of chemical research. Chemistry has yielded substitute for many useful products made from dwindling natural resources. Often, these substitutes are made even durable that the original natural products. However, some substitutes become long lasting pollutants. Bacteria are unable to break down residual substances on materials called non-biodegradable.

However, chemical industries have been blamed as main contributors to pollution. There is a lot of danger in throwing away big amounts of chemical wastes into rivers, lakes and soil. Certain restrictions must be imposed on industrial activities. Yet chemical knowledge can again be used to develop new processes to reduce pollution.

Is chemistry concerned only with preparing new substances? Chemistry is also concerned with the study of properties and behavior of familiar substances. Why does ilang-ilang smell good? What makes water into ice? Chemical researches give answers to such questions. Furthermore, chemical researches could give or suggest ways to extract perfumes from local flowers.

Chemistry determined the means and conditions under which a material may be transferred into other kinds. It is also concerned with energy relationship in the transformation of matter.

Chemistry is divided into two parts called organic and inorganic. Organic Chemistry deals with the substances containing the element carbon except CO1, CO2, carbonates and cyanide, which are considered as inorganic. On the other hand, Inorganic Chemistry is the study of all other elements.

Science and Technology

What is Science?

Man by nature is curious. He wants to know and understand the world where he lives. Science began with the man’s first attempt to observe and understand the things around him. More and more men observed and understand the things around him. More and more men observed closely and saw a connection between certain things and events. The beginning of Science was passed orally at first and later through written records. Through the years, things and their behavior were classified. Man continues his study to understand nature so that he may able to control it for the enrichment of human life.

SCIENCE is defined as a body of facts, which has been systematically classified and correlated to serve as a basis for the discovery of general truths. Science progresses by seeking relationships among things and processes. In science, evidence rules thinking.

It is generally believed that science deals with indisputable facts and absolute truths. But sometimes, even though the facts are indisputable, they are usually incomplete. And, giving meaning to incomplete facts that lead to theories, which are only rough approximations of the truths. Therefore, science is regarded as an evolving subject approaching the truth but never quite reaching it.

Subdivisions of Science

Science is divided into the study of living things as embodied in the Biological Sciences as well as the study of non-livings things as contained in the Physical Sciences.

Physical Sciences include:

Chemistry is the science, which deals with the study of matter – its properties, composition, structure, the changes it undergoes and the laws and principles governing these changes.

Physics is the study of the properties, behavior and interaction between matter and energy.

Astronomy is the science of the universe outside our own planet.

Mineralogy is the science if minerals.

Geology is the study of the earth’s structure.

Meteorology is the study of weather and climate.

Combination of astronomy, geology and meteorology is what called Earth Science.

The application of scientific principles to a specific purpose is called technology. This technology may take the form of a new device, a new process, a new procedure, a new substance or a new product. The ultimate beneficiaries are you and everybody, in particular and the society, in general.

Groups of people who interact with each other using the same technology form a society. Often a society by the name of technology like Stone Age refers to the technology shared by people in a time period of the past.

A society can determine, within the limit of invention, what technology it wants to have. For example, a society can choose to have a technology that includes the pesticides DDT, even though it is harmful to many birds, or it can reject DDT and look to alternative means of destroying insect pests. People representing many societies can agree to limit a technology such as the use of chlorofluoro-carbons (CFCs), if that technology appears to damage the environment. A society can chose if its best interests are met by reliance on nuclear power, or it can reject nuclear power for the other sources of energy because of known hazards. Such choices are not made because of available technology; they are made because society perceives substantial benefits from the choice of such technology. Technology is not science. It is usually a product of science and that society should wisely harness the benefits to improve the quality of life.