Science is the present-day equivalent of what used to be called natural philosophy. Natural philosophy was the study of unanswered questions about nature. As the answers were found, they became part of what is now called science. The study of science today branches into the study of living things and nonliving things: the life sciences and the physical sciences. The life sciences branch into such areas as biology, zoology, and botany. The physical sciences branch into such areas as geology, astronomy, chemistry, and physics.

Physics is more than a part of physical sciences. It is the basic science. It is about the nature of basic things such as motion, forces, energy, matter, heat, sound, light, and the insides of atoms.

An understanding of science begins with an understanding of physics.