science

Q: When did science begin?

Observing the natural world and paying attention to its patterns has been part of human history from the very beginning. However, studying nature to understand it purely for its own sake seems to have had its start among the pre-Socratic philosophers of the 6th century BCE, such as Thales and Anaximander .

Q: How is science related to math?

Science uses mathematics extensively as a powerful tool in the further understanding of phenomena. Sometimes scientific discoveries have inspired mathematicians, and at other times scientists have realized that forms of mathematics that were developed without any regard for their usefulness could be applied to understanding the physical world.

Q: Where was science invented?

All peoples have studied the natural world, but most ancient peoples studied it for practical purposes, such as paying attention to natural cycles to know when to plant crops. It does not seem to have been until the 6th century BCE that the pre-Socratic philosophers (who lived in what is now Turkey and Greece) began seeking to understand nature as an end in itself.

Written and fact-checked by

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Oct. 19, 2025 •Article History

When did science begin?

How is science related to math?

Where was science invented?

News •

Astronomers may have discovered a cosmic event that is completely new to science • Oct. 17, 2025, 12:23 AM ET (Earth.com)

science, any system of knowledge that is concerned with the physical world and its phenomena and that entails unbiased observations and systematic experimentation. In general, a science involves a pursuit of knowledge covering general truths or the operations of fundamental laws.

Science can be divided into different branches based on the subject of study:

The physical sciences study the inorganic world and include the fields of astronomy, physics, chemistry, and the Earth sciences.
The biological sciences—such as biology and medicine—study the organic world of life and its processes.
The social sciences study the social and cultural aspects of human behavior. They include anthropology and economics, among many other disciplines.

Science is further treated in a number of articles. For the history of Western and Eastern science, see history of science. For the conceptualization of science and its interrelationships with culture, see philosophy of science. For the basic aspects of the scientific approach, see principles of physical science and scientific method.

Britannica Quiz

36 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Science Quizzes

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by J.E. Luebering.