naturvitenskapelige

Naturvitenskapelige is a Norwegian term meaning related to the natural sciences. It refers to anything pertaining to or characteristic of the natural sciences, the branches of science that study the natural world through observation, measurement, and experimentation. The term is used as an adjective (naturvitenskapelig) or as a noun phrase when describing fields, methods, or research practices such as naturvitenskapelige disipliner or naturvitenskapelige metoder.

Core disciplines include physics, chemistry, biology, geology, meteorology, astronomy, and related fields like environmental science and oceanography. Many natural science disciplines rely on the scientific method: formulating hypotheses, conducting controlled experiments or observations, collecting quantitative data, and testing reproducibility. The aim is to develop models and theories that explain natural phenomena and can make testable predictions.

Historically, the natural sciences emerged during the scientific revolution and evolved into organized disciplines in the 18th–19th centuries. In educational and institutional contexts, naturvitenskapelige fag or naturvitenskap is used to distinguish these fields from the social sciences and humanities; universities typically organize them under faculties of science (fakultet for naturvitenskap). Interdisciplinary areas, such as biophysics or geochemistry, combine naturvitenskapelige approaches with mathematics, computer science, or engineering.