There are several branches of physics, and so scientists are several times more numerous than in other sciences. One can do theoretical physics, experimental or applied. It all depends on the scientist's wish and knowledge.
A few words about experimental physics. Why is it so called? Is it connected with carrying out experiments? Of course, yes. It is a certain way of studying and knowing nature, consisting in the process of studying various natural phenomena in conditions that have been specially prepared and made ready in advance. The most important difference from theoretical physics is that experimental physics investigates not mathematical models of nature, as theoretical physics does, but nature itself, its essence.
Simple disagreement with the result obtained in an experiment will be the main criterion that a theory of physics is wrong. In other words, simply not applicable to our world. But the converse statement will nevertheless not be true: if a scientist agrees with an experiment, this will not be proof of the correctness of the theory in question, nor of its application. So the most important criterion of the viability of a theory of physics is its testing by experiment. That is what experimental physics is needed for.
It would seem that the role of experiment is more than obvious. But it was discovered only by Galileo and the researchers who worked after him. It was they who drew their conclusions about the characteristics of the world on the basis of their observations of the behaviour of various objects in specially created conditions. In other words, they carried out experiments. Incidentally, this approach is completely the opposite of the approach of the Greeks: they considered that their reflections on the structure of the world were true and correct, while experience was regarded as nothing more than a confirmed deception, that is, it could not lay claim to yielding true knowledge.
In the ideal case experimental physics is obliged to give only detailed descriptions of experiments and their results, without their interpretation. But in practice this is unrealistic. After all, scientists have notions of how this or that object behaves, that is, these notions rest on an interpretation of the results obtained.
So experimental physics is not only a very important part of physics as a whole but also quite interesting, because observations of the behaviour of various objects in different artificial conditions arouse interest not only in scientists but also in ordinary people.
Published: 21.05.13
A few words about experimental physics. Why is it so called? Is it connected with carrying out experiments? Of course, yes. It is a certain way of studying and knowing nature, consisting in the process of studying various natural phenomena in conditions that have been specially prepared and made ready in advance. The most important difference from theoretical physics is that experimental physics investigates not mathematical models of nature, as theoretical physics does, but nature itself, its essence.
Simple disagreement with the result obtained in an experiment will be the main criterion that a theory of physics is wrong. In other words, simply not applicable to our world. But the converse statement will nevertheless not be true: if a scientist agrees with an experiment, this will not be proof of the correctness of the theory in question, nor of its application. So the most important criterion of the viability of a theory of physics is its testing by experiment. That is what experimental physics is needed for.
It would seem that the role of experiment is more than obvious. But it was discovered only by Galileo and the researchers who worked after him. It was they who drew their conclusions about the characteristics of the world on the basis of their observations of the behaviour of various objects in specially created conditions. In other words, they carried out experiments. Incidentally, this approach is completely the opposite of the approach of the Greeks: they considered that their reflections on the structure of the world were true and correct, while experience was regarded as nothing more than a confirmed deception, that is, it could not lay claim to yielding true knowledge.
In the ideal case experimental physics is obliged to give only detailed descriptions of experiments and their results, without their interpretation. But in practice this is unrealistic. After all, scientists have notions of how this or that object behaves, that is, these notions rest on an interpretation of the results obtained.
So experimental physics is not only a very important part of physics as a whole but also quite interesting, because observations of the behaviour of various objects in different artificial conditions arouse interest not only in scientists but also in ordinary people.
Published: 21.05.13