What is Applied Physics???
In: Physics
Ok. Remember how in school you always thought “when the hell am i ever gonna use this math!”. Well this is it. Applied physics is when you take the math you have learned (in physics) and apply it to the real world. For example, you can calculate exactly where a thrown ball will land if you have the weight of the ball, how hard it was thrown, any faults in the pitcher, and the speed of wind pusheing against it.
Applied physics takes the theories and principals of the science of physics (study of power, energy and motion) and figures out how to use them to accomplish goals or perform actions.
For example, engineers use known properties of materials (strength, weight, durability, etc.) and forces to build structures or machines that use these properties to do our work or support our buildings. Those properties are known and used by engineers because over centuries, physicists have “applied” the things they learned about matter, energy, forces and motion to develop new ways to do things. Over time, their developments become accepted and regularly used by engineers.
On the other hand, Theoretical physicists create theories in an effort to explain how things we do not understand occur or try to understand things we know are occurring but cannot see (I.e., microwaves heating up water; why planets stay in orbit around a star in a near stable pattern while they are spinning and creating their own gravity; why almost every substance we know of gets smaller and more dense when it freezes except for water, which expands and gets less dense (but for this unique difference ice would sink to the bottom of rivers and smother out life in the winter).
Think of it as an always ongoing process. Theoretical physicists work to figure out energy and motion we cannot see and don’t understand and in doing so discover new information and new principles. Applied physicists take those discoveries and figure out how to use the new principles to address practical tasks, problems or objectives. Once they do, their processes become the norm and engineers begin to rely upon them on a regular basis to do everyday tasks.
Physics that you intend to use for practical real world applications.
This is in contrast with physics for physics sake, or for betterment of human knowledge. Applied physics take the theory of physics and find a practical use for it. You can imagine it as a crossover between engineering and physics research.
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