Comparison of chemistry and physics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marie Curie is the only individual to be awarded Nobel Prizes in both chemistry and physics

Chemistry and physics are branches of science that both study matter. The difference between the two lies in their scope and approach. Chemists and physicists are trained differently, and they have different professional roles, even when working in a team. The division between chemistry and physics becomes diffuse at the interface of the two branches, notably in fields such as physical chemistry, chemical physics, quantum mechanics, nuclear physics/chemistry, materials science, spectroscopy, solid state physics, crystallography, and nanotechnology.

Scope

Physics and chemistry may overlap when the system under study involves matter commonly encountered on earth, composed of electrons and nuclei made of protons and neutrons. On the other hand, chemistry is not concerned with other forms of matter such as quarks, mu and tau leptons and dark matter, which do not participate in the transformation of one kind of substance into another, and which we do not observe under typical terrestrial conditions.

If biology is an option, I'll take it. In this case, I think chemistry is more interesting. Biochemical reactions that control cell regulation, cell communication, and so on are so crucial to life, not to mention the reactions (photosynthesis + cellular respitation) that provide energy for the cell.