What is applied physics?
Question What is applied physics?
Answer
Physics in general has two branches, theoretical physics (or just pure physics) and applied physics (or engineering physics). I myself, from the University formation, I am an applied physicist but during my instruction have taken also courses of theoretical physics. First theoretical physics is that branch of physics that solves the physics problems by making an appeal only to mathematical apparatus , i.e. you state the hypothesis and applying math you arrive to one conclusion. On the other hand, applied physics utilizes the leanings theoretical physics provide, place them into practice and by mean of physics experiment draws new physical conclusions and develop new technologies. I myself have worked for about 15 years in a solid state research facility and using applied physics I have developed new apparatus used to obtain quantum semiconductors structures and after this I have studied by experimental means the physical properties of this semiconductors. This means applied physics in by its essence experimental , whereas theoretical physics is more arid. I had colleagues, theoretics that did not make any physics experiment and were just solving physics problems on paper. What i wanted to express is that applied physics is more like an engineering thing.