Applied science

Applied Science is a discipline of science that applies existing scientific knowledge to develop more practical applications, like technology or inventions. Within natural science, disciplines that are basic science, also called pure science, develop information to predict and perhaps explain—thus somehow understand—phenomena in the natural world. Applied science is the use of scientific processes and knowledge as the means to achieve a particular practical or useful result. This includes a broad range of scientific fields from Engineering and Medicine to Early Childhood Education.

History

The concept of applied science traces back to the age of Francis Bacon, a philosopher known for developing the scientific method. Bacon's belief in the practical applications of scientific knowledge shaped the way scientists conduct research and experiments with the goal of producing tangible results that often have direct impacts on society.

Fields of Applied Science

Applied science is a broad field that encompasses various sectors. Some of the major fields include:

• Engineering: This is the application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and operation of efficient and economical structures, machines, processes, and systems.

• Medicine: This field applies biology and other natural sciences to the treatment and prevention of disease in human bodies.

• Computer Science: This is the study of algorithmic processes, computational machines and computation itself. As a discipline, computer science spans a range of topics from theoretical studies of algorithms, computation and information to the practical issues of implementing computational systems in hardware and software.

• Environmental Science: This is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological and information sciences (including ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geography, and atmospheric science) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems.

Applied Science vs Basic Science

While both basic science and applied science aim to increase a body of scientific knowledge, the primary focus of basic science is to understand the natural world, while applied science takes the discoveries made in basic science and applies them to solve specific problems.

See Also

• Science
• Technology
• Engineering
• Medicine
• Computer Science
• Environmental Science