Some
of the properties studied in physics are common to all material
systems, such as the conservation of energy. Such properties
are
often referred to as laws of physics. Physics is sometimes said
to be the "fundamental science", because each of the
other natural sciences (biology, chemistry, geology, etc.) deals
with particular types of material systems that obey the laws of
physics. For example, chemistry is the science of molecules and
the chemicals that they form in the bulk. The properties of a chemical
are determined by the properties of the underlying molecules, which
are accurately described by areas of physics such as quantum mechanics,
thermodynamics, and electromagnetism.
Physics is also closely related to mathematics. Physical theories
are almost invariably expressed using mathematical relations, and
the mathematics involved is generally more complicated than in
the other sciences. The difference between physics and mathematics
is that physics is ultimately concerned with descriptions of the
material world, whereas mathematics is concerned with abstract
patterns that need not have any bearing on it. However, the distinction
is not always clear-cut. There is a large area of research intermediate
between physics and mathematics, known as mathematical physics,
devoted to developing the mathematical structure of physical theories.