What is the conceptual difference between Chemistry and Physics?

What makes the job of the chemist different from the job of the physicist?

Chemistry deals with the interactions between electron shells.

 

Physics deals with EVERYTHING.

 

Obviously, chemistry is a subset of physics.

Physics deals with EVERYTHING

 

Everything? That would be everything EXCEPT topics found in biology, chemistry and any other science, such as psychology.

 

Dictionary.com describes the two as:

 

Chemistry - The science of the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter, especially of atomic and molecular systems.

The composition, structure, properties, and reactions of a substance.

 

Physics - (used with a sing. verb) The science of matter and energy and of interactions between the two, grouped in traditional fields such as acoustics, optics, mechanics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism, as well as in modern extensions including atomic and nuclear physics, cryogenics, solid-state physics, particle physics, and plasma physics.

(used with a pl. verb) Physical properties, interactions, processes, or laws: the physics of supersonic flight.

(used with a sing. verb) Archaic. The study of the natural or material world and phenomena; natural philosophy.

 

To say Chemistry is a subset of physics is just belittleing chemistry which is hardly surprising coming from a physicist

greg1917 said in post #4 :

To say Chemistry is a subset of physics is just belittleing chemistry which is hardly surprising coming from a physicist

 

Science consists of either Physics, or stamp collecting.

MrL_JaKiri Chemistry is NOT a subset of Physics at all.

wolfson said in post #6 :

MrL_JaKiri Chemistry is NOT a subset of Physics at all.

 

That's what you'd like to think.

I agree with MrL. All science a subset of Physics.

 

Physics is in turn a subset of maths, namely the mathematical models that correlate with what we can empirically measure, with a few extra axioms and the like thrown in for measure.

i would agree that chemistry is a subset of physics. Why? Well, most things in chemistry are explained using physical models.

 

HOwever, i would not consider this belittleing at all. I think that people that would take this as an insult are not quite secure in the fact that they are chemists -- perhaps they really wanted to be physicists?

 

Anyway, why is this not an insult? Because, the chemist chooses to investigate a particulare aspect of "physics" in great detail. SO much detail, in fact, that all other aspects of physics must be almost excluded. Of course this all depends on what you are doing in chemistry. A physical chemist will know almost as much nuclear chemistry as a nuclear chemists. By the same measure, a nuclear physisist might know a great deal about moleculare orbital theory.

 

The point being that "chemistry" is just a short hand way of saying , "i specialize in the physics of interactions between molecules, wich mostly has to do with the interaction of outershell electrons with other outershell electrons and the formation of moleculare orbitals, yadda yadaa yadda." Of course this is rather long to say, so we just say "i am a chemist."

 

 

No of course this saying is a bit belittleing.

 

Science consists of either Physics, or stamp collecting.

 

Refferring to things other than Physics as stamp collecting shows an inability to appreaciate anything other than what you do. But sometimes that is what happens when you are involved in something that the world really reveres.

 

If we lived about 100 years ago, people would have scoffed at you if you were a physicsist -- chemistry was where it was at then. And before that, it was all about being a natural biologist. And before that it was about being an artist. So, really it is all about what period you are iin, whether or not you get to feel superior about your career.

 

Anyway, i think the reast of us understand the importance of this so called "stamp collecting."

 

 

 

And one other thing, we must decide on what "science" means if we are to really agree that sicence is either physics or stamp collecting. FOr instance, is economics or scocial sciencec science? If so, then your statement is incorect. Of course, you might not consider them science, i don't know. I don't even know if i do, but whatever

VendingMenace said in post #9 :

Refferring to things other than Physics as stamp collecting shows an inability to appreaciate anything other than what you do. But sometimes that is what happens when you are involved in something that the world really reveres.

 

If we lived about 100 years ago...

 

It's a quote from Lord Rutherford.

 

From about a hundred years ago.

 

[edit]

 

And things aren't science if they don't use the scientific method.

"All science is either physics or stamp collecting" (or something close) is a quote from Ernest Rutherford. If you disagree, take it up with him.

It's only belittling if you consider stamp-collecting belittling. I had a grandfather who made a great living from stamps

VendingMenace said in post #9 :

No of course this saying is a bit belittleing.

 

 

that is ok. Chemists deserve to be belittled. They are chemists you see.

Im 6 foot 4. Try and belittle me. just try it.

greg1917 said in post # :

Im 6 foot 4. Try and belittle me. just try it.

 

OK. I'm 6'7.

MrL_JaKiri said in post # :

 

That's what you'd like to think.

 

then it`s all a SubSet of Science!

 

neither physics nor Chem can exist without each other, it`s a plain old ireconcilable fact. the two go hand in hand.

 

to answer post #1

 

Physics deals with all that goes wrong during a demo.

 

Chemistry deals with all that stinks the Lab out

 

 

and never the twain shall meet

To quote Richard Feynman, 'All these rules (talking about chemistry; things such as the periodic nature of the elements) were ultimately explained in principle by quantum mechanics, so that theoretical chemistry is in fact physics.'

and when you use a battery to make an electro magnet in the Lab, you exploit chemical principals

and so I restate that chem and physics go hand in hand

YT2095 said in post # :

and when you use a battery to make an electro magnet in the Lab, you exploit chemical principals

and so I restate that chem and physics go hand in hand

 

Since when were the chemical principles not physical principles?

 

Venn venn venn!

ok, then lets talk Venn diagrams

 

My "set" (Chemistry) encompasses all to do with chemicals.

Your set (Physics) encompasses all to do with things and stuff (I can`t really define it as it`s so broad).

 

BUT... there is an overlap (the 2 circles make an eliptical) and in there are shared common factors to BOTH subjects

 

chem is no more a subset of Phys that the other way around, there is only an overlap, like a shifted 8 where the two O`s cross

YT2095 said in post # :

chem is no more a subset of Phys that the other way around, there is only an overlap, like a shifted 8 where the two O`s cross

 

That's silliness; chemistry's entire remit is within the role of physics, whereas physics deals with much more than chemistry.

 

If you notice, there's shared elements between biology and (chemistry and physics), yet some elements are seperate; these are more behavioural areas, which we cannot explain through physical law as of yet.

 

We can explain all of chemistry through physical law.

consider two sets, one set A is the set of all the things you can do using physics. the other set B is the set of all the things you can do using chemistry.

 

B is a subset of A, since all the things you can do in B, you can also do in A. However A is not a subset of B, since there are things you can do in A, that you cannot do in B.

Radical Edward said in post # :

consider two sets, one set A is the set of all the things you can do using physics. the other set B is the set of all the things you can do using chemistry.

 

B is a subset of A, since all the things you can do in B, you can also do in A. However A is not a subset of B, since there are things you can do in A, that you cannot do in B.

 

Demonstrated through the power of MSPAINT! FEAR THE PAINT!

well that`s totaly bogus from the pair of you!, why not call the Border "Science" just Physics then?

YT2095 said in post # :

well that`s totaly bogus from the pair of you!, why not call the Border "Science" just Physics then?

 

Because some things (like behavioural analysis) aren't covered by physics.