:''"Applied Physics" redirects here. For other uses, see
Applied physics (disambiguation)''

Cutout of the
ITER project
'Applied physics' is a general term for
physics which is intended for a particular technological or practical use. "Applied" is distinguished from "pure" by a subtle combination of factors such as the motivation and attitude of researchers and the nature of the relationship to the technology or science that may be affected by the work.
[1] It usually differs from
engineering in that an applied physicist may not be designing something in particular, but rather is using physics or conducting physics research with the aim of developing new technologies or solving an engineering problem. This approach is similar to that of
applied mathematics. In other words, applied physics is rooted in the fundamental truths and basic concepts of the physical sciences but is concerned with the utilization of these scientific principles in practical devices and systems. Applied physicists can also be interested the use of physics for scientific research. For instance, people working on
Accelerator physics seek to build better accelerators for research in theoretical physics.
Fields and areas of research
★
Accelerator physics
★
Acoustics
★
Agrophysics
★
Ballistics
★
Biophysics
★
Computational physics
★
Communication Physics
★
Econophysics
★
Engineering physics
★
Fiber Optics
★
Fluid dynamics
★
Laser physics

Experiment using a (likely
argon) laser
★
Force microscopy and
imaging
★
Geophysics
★
Quantum electronics
★
Medical physics
★
Microfluidics
★
Nanotechnology
★
Nondestructive testing
★
Nuclear engineering
★
Nuclear technology
★
Optics
★
Optoelectronics
★
Photovoltaics
★
Plasma physics
★
Semiconductor physics and devices
★
Soil Physics
★
Solid state physics
★
Superconductors
★
Space physics
★
Spintronics
★
Vehicle dynamics
Prominent institutions
★
Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University
★
Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathemetics, Columbia University
★
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University
★
Department of Applied Physics, University of Calcutta
★
Institute of Applied Physics, Corrensstr
★
School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University
★
Department of Physics, Applied Physics & Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
★
Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland
See also
★
Applied physics current and future