The Hierarchy of Science

The sciences can be thought of in terms of a hierarchy of building blocks:

• Math is the foundation upon which all science is built.
  
  
• The pure science of math tells physics how it is to work.
  
  
• Quantum mechanics of physics provides the randomness that allows for chemistry.
  
  
• Biology is the ultimate creation of that science giving life to inanimate substances.
  
  
• Chemistry is therefore the blend of science and art that bridges the gap between the cold reality of physics and the magic of life-giving biology.
  
  
• Engineering is the result of life using science to build things that hadn't existed before.

Ironically however, even though it lays at the foundation of this hierarchy, math by itself does not allow for new non-obvious discoveries. The empirical nature of science requires that scientific laws and theories conform to reality. They must fit the observed.  For example, early astronomers looked to the heavens and noticed that stars move. Through their observations, they developed theories and mathematical models to describe the stars’ movements. This however is not the end of the story.  Science also requires that theories be subject to constant critical reexamination. Over time, additional observations require adjustments to those theories and the development of new mathematical concepts. If the models do not conform to reality, it is the theories and math that are adjusted and not the observations.  Even the math intensive bizarre world of quantum mechanics must first be observed and then later described by math.