Applied physics

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

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. [http://www.stanford.edu/dept/app-physics/general/] 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 in 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
*Force microscopy and imaging
*Geophysics
*Quantum electronics
*Medical physics
*Microfluidics
*Nanotechnology
*Nondestructive testing
*Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear technology
*Optics
*Optoelectronics
*Analog Electronics
*Digital Electronics
*Microprocessor Interfacing
*Signals And Systems
*Photovoltaics
*Plasma physics
*Semiconductor physics and devices
*Soil Physics
*Solid state physics
*Superconductors
*Space physics
*Spintronics
*Vehicle dynamics
*Metrological Physics

Prominent institutions

* [http://www.aph.caltech.edu/ Department of Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology]
* [http://www.stanford.edu/dept/app-physics/ Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University]
* [http://www.apam.columbia.edu Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University]
* [http://www.jhuapl.edu Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University]
*Department of Applied Physics, University of Calcutta
* [http://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.AP/Welcome-en.html Institute of Applied Physics, Corrensstr]
* [http://www.aep.cornell.edu/ School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University]
* [http://www.rpi.edu/dept/phys/ Department of Physics, Applied Physics & Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]
* [http://www.ireap.umd.edu/ Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland]
* [http://applied.physics.lsa.umich.edu/ Department of Applied Physics, University of Michigan]
* [http://www.uok.edu.pk/ Department of Applied Physics, University of Karachi,Pakistan]
* [http://www.kettering.edu/futurestudents/undergraduate/appliedphysics.jsp Department of Physics, Applied and Engineering Physics, Kettering University]
* [http://www.tf.itb.ac.id/ Department of Engineering Physics, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia]

ee also

* [http://www.articleworld.org/index.php/Applied_physics Applied physics current and future]