nonphysics

Nonphysics is a broad term used to describe domains of study, inquiry, or content that are not focused on the phenomena, methods, or theories of physics. In educational and reference works, nonphysics helps distinguish material about the physical universe from topics studied by other disciplines and is often used for organizing content within encyclopedias, databases, or course catalogs.

The scope of nonphysics typically includes the life sciences (biology, medicine), earth and environmental sciences (geology, climatology), chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and the humanities and social sciences (philosophy, history, psychology, sociology, economics). While these fields are distinct from physics, they frequently intersect with it in specialized areas (for example, biophysics, chemical physics, environmental physics). Such overlap highlights the porous boundary between disciplines and the shared aim of explaining natural phenomena, albeit with different methods and scales.

In practice, nonphysics functions as a labeling or categorization tool in information systems, helping users navigate content that does not center on physics. It is not a formal discipline in the same sense as physics, and it does not imply a single method or objective.

Limitations include the risk of oversimplification and the possibility of implying hierarchy among sciences. Interdisciplinary work often spans physics and nonphysics, making rigid categorization difficult.

See also: physics, science, interdisciplinary studies.