Final answer:
Natural philosophy was an all-encompassing term for the study of nature, while modern physics is a specialized field that uses empirical observations and theoretical models to understand fundamental laws of nature.
natural philosophy versus physics is: (a) Natural philosophy focused on empirical observations, while physics emphasizes theoretical models.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question at hand is about the comparison between natural philosophy and physics. Historically, natural philosophy was an umbrella term that included the study of nature in all its aspects, such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and medicine.
This field was not strictly quantitative but rather an amalgamation of observations and inferences about the natural world. In contrast, the development of modern physics, from the Renaissance through the 19th century and into the early 20th century, has become more specialized and quantifiable, focusing on explaining the fundamental laws of nature through empirical observations, experiments, and theoretical models.
Answering the student's multiple-choice question, the statement that best compares and contrasts the aims and topics of natural philosophy versus physics is: (a) Natural philosophy focused on empirical observations, while physics emphasizes theoretical models.
This reflects the evolution from a general study of nature to a specific, empirical, and model-driven approach to understanding the universe.