The
branches of science (also referred to as "sciences", "scientific fields", or "scientific disciplines") are commonly divided into four major groups:
natural sciences, which study natural phenomena (including
fundamental forces and
biological life),
formal sciences (such as
mathematics and
logic, which use an
a priori, as opposed to
factual,
methodology),
social sciences, which study
human behavior and
societies, and
applied sciences, which apply existing scientific knowledge to develop more practical applications, like technology or inventions.