Soft sciences use the process of collecting empirical data then use the best methods possible to analyze the information. The results are more difficult to predict. They include economics, political science and sociology.
To put it simply, the natural sciences such as biology, chemistry and physics are considered hard, while the social sciences such as economics, sociology and jurisprudence are considered soft.
“Hard” sciences include things like physics, math, and chemistry, while “soft” sciences include things like sociology and philosophy.
Hard science subjects include the natural sciences, which are about the natural world. These include physics, chemistry, biology, geology, astronomy, and botany. Soft science is any of the social sciences, including history, sociology, and political science.
Psychology was therefore declared a 'soft science' that can never achieve the status of the 'hard sciences' (e.g., physics, chemistry).
noun. a science, such as sociology or anthropology, that deals with humans as its principal subject matter, and is therefore not generally considered to be based on rigorous experimentation.
Further down the list come those other sciences which I call the “soft” sciences, namely, anthropology, psychology, sociology, economics, history, and numerous disciplines associated with them. I call these soft sciences because of their relative inability to predict.
Psychology is commonly thought of as the easiest of the science majors thanks to its relative lack of complex math, although psych majors can still expect to do a fair amount of statistical analysis on their way to a degree.
Hard sciences use math explicitly, they have more control over the variables and conclusions. They include physics, chemistry and astronomy. Soft sciences use the process of collecting empirical data then use the best methods possible to analyze the information. The results are more difficult to predict.
For those of you wanting the short answer: A-Level Biology is quite a hard A-Level, even for the most skilled science students.
Biology only seems so hard because it has been defined by a set of very hard questions. Physics only seems easy because centuries of effort by deeply insightful thinkers have produced a set of answerable questions. What makes biology so challenging, ironically, is our closeness to it.
How is physics harder than biology? I think the abstraction found in physics makes physics much more harder to understand than biology (e.g., studying in graduate level). However, biological research is just as hard as any physics research (if not more).
Why is Physics harder than Math? Answer: Physics demands problem-solving skills that can be developed only with practice. It also involves theoretical concepts, mathematical calculations and laboratory experiments that adds to the challenging concepts.
Biology will be significantly tougher than math. In Bio, there will be a few application questions, but they will mostly be surface-level thinking problems.
As a general rule, most students find biology easier except, they may be required to memorize more information. Chemistry is usually more difficult, especially the labs, because they require a better understanding of mathematics, especially error analysis.
A-level Biology is a difficult A-level subject due to the amount of content that you need to cover. Students often find the jump from GCSE to A-level Biology very big, even if you did very well in your GCSEs.
Chemistry is considered relatively easier than physics. Because studying chemistry involves understanding the concept and memorizing it, whereas studying physics involves more reasoning and philosophy.
Chemistry and biology are both the easiest, they are on par. In fact they are of similar things, because biology is a lot about how body organs function, which is essentially through chemical reaction.
Because it's more difficult to establish measurable criteria when working on the analysis of how the mind works, these are less rigidly required to follow the scientific method, making them “soft” subjects. This category includes fields of study like sociology, psychology, political science, and anthropology.
Generally, physics is often deemed to be the hardest of all the sciences, especially as an A level qualification. Physics involves a lot of complex maths content – an aspect that most students struggle with.
It shouldn't surprise you that organic chemistry takes the No. 1 spot as the hardest college course. This course is often referred to as the “pre-med killer” because it actually has caused many pre-med majors to switch their major.
Chemistry is famous for being one of the hardest subjects ever, so it's no surprise that a Chemistry degree is fiercely challenging. Just one topic in Chemistry (for example, organic chemistry) is incredibly complex.
For example, social sciences such as psychology and sociology use mathematical models extensively, but are usually considered soft sciences.
In order of easiest to most difficult, our list of the top 15 hardest A-Levels are: Art, Design & Technology (Product Design), Business Studies, Politics, Economics, History, English Literature, Psychology, Modern Languages, Mathematics, Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, and Physics.
Behavioral and social sciences, which might include sociology, human geography, psychology, or communication studies, have typically been called “soft” sciences.