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Isphysicsabranchofappliedmathematics?
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ViktorToth,authorofmanypapersongravity,playedkeyroleresolvingthePioneer
anomaly
670ViewsMostViewedWriterinPhysicswith1290+answers

Thinkofmathematicsasalanguage:auniversallanguagethatiscapableofexpressing
everystatementthatcanbededucedlogicallyfromanystatedsetofaxioms.
Thejobofthetheoreticalphysicist,then,istofindtherightsubsetofthismathematical
language,thatistherightsetofaxioms,fromwhichonecandeducestatementsthat
closelymatchreality.Thetheoreticalphysicistworkshandinhandwiththeexperimental
physicistortheastronomer,whomakeevermoresophisticatedobservationsofnature,
testingthetheoretician'sabilitytofindthecorrectsubsetofmathematics.
Sointhis(admittedlyvastlyoversimplified)picture,themathematicianprovidestherules
ofthelanguagethetheoreticalphysicistpicksthebitsofthelanguagethatdescribe
observationsandtheexperimentalphysicistorastronomersupplythedata(theactual
observations).
WrittenMay13,2015ViewUpvotes
4

Whyaresomebranchesofmathematicsboring?
Ischaostheoryabranchofmathematicsorphysics?
Why?
Whichbranchofphysicshastheleastamountof
mathematics?
Whatarethemostintuitivebranchesofmathematics
andphysics?
Whichbranchofmathematicscanopenthedoorto
studytheoreticalphysicsandphysicsofthe
universe?Pure/appliedandwhichspecificbranch...

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LastAskedMay7,2015

DanielMerthe,PhysicsPh.D.Candidate,UniversityofSouthernCalifornia
296ViewsMostViewedWriterinMathematicsandPhysics

A2A
Althoughthereismuchoverlap,theyarefundamentallydifferentsubjects.Physicsisa
bodyofknowledgeofhowsystemsinthenaturalworldwork,combiningexperimental
evidencewiththemodelsthatexplainthem.AppliedMathematicsisabranchof
mathematicsthatapplies(oftennovel)mathematicaltechniquestomodelvarious
processes.So,physicistsoftenuseAppliedMathematicsintheoreticalwork.Buthowever
successfulitis,itmustbecomparedtoanexperimentinordertocallitPhysics.
ThisisactuallywhyStringTheoryisconsideredbymostseriousphysicistsasApplied
Mathematics,ratherthanPhysics.Thereisnoexperimentpossibleinourlifetimethatcan
confirmordenyStringTheory.
WrittenMay7,2015ViewUpvotesAnswerrequestedbyFahranKamili
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DavidKahana,physicistunhinged
2.2kViewsDavidhas750+answersand23endorsementsinPhysics

No.There'smoretophysicsthanjustmathematics.There'salsoalittlethingcalled
experimentalphysicsyouknow,whatmostoftheresearchfundinginphysicsisactually
spenton.
Therearephysicistswhoarenotevenparticularlygoodatmathematicsatall.
WrittenMay7,2015ViewUpvotes
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AlanBustany,TrinityWrangler,AssociateFellowInstituteofMathematicsandits
Applications
1.1kViews

No,PhysicsisanapplicationofAppliedMaths.Itusesitasatool.Physicsisnomorea
branchofmathsthanitisabranchoftheLargeHadronCollider,anothertoolofwhich
youmayhaveheard.

Edits

Equallyeverythingthatinvolvesanykindofformalreasoningisanapplicationof
mathematicsincludingengineering,perspectivedrawing,andphilosophy.IguessaMaths
Dictatormightcalltheseallbranches...
WrittenMay8,2015ViewUpvotesAnswerrequestedbyFahranKamili
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DanielGoldman,B.S.inmathematicsandmathematicstutorfor10+years.
279Views

Physicsisnotmathematicsatall.Thenagain,muchofwhatisconsideredmathematicsis
reallysomethingelse.Thereisappliedmathematics,andthenthereistheapplicationof
mathematics(Whatismathematics?).
Iwouldsaythatscience,asawhole,isanapplicationofmathematics.Mathematicsitself
stopswhenempiricalobservationbegins.Mathematicsisjustthestudyoflogical
consequence.Wetakeacollectionofaxiomsandseewhatwecanderivefromthem.Itisin
nowayanattempttodescribereality,whichisexactlywhatscience,includingphysics,
triestodo.
Howisittheapplicationofmathematics?Eventhoughitisnotgenerallyformalized,
modeltesting(testingtheories)isreallyaprocess,developedthroughmathematical
reasoning.Youaretakingacollectionofobservationsandtestingthemagainstacollection
ofmodels.Iftheobservationscontradictthemodels,youhavefalsifiedthecollection.So,
mathematicsisusedtocreateandunderstandthebasicprocessandtoolsofscience,as
wellasothermorespecifictoolsforgivenfields.Probabilitytheory,forinstance,isusedto
createalotofusefultoolsforstudyingrealworldprocesses.
WrittenOct4,2015
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StephenFarrier,MAinPhysicsfromUniversityofCambridge
252ViewsStephenhas60+answersinPhysics

A2A
WhenIwaslearningphysicsourstudytimewasdivided(I'mestimating)about50/50
between"physics"lecturesand"mathematics"lectures.Moreover,manymembersofour
physicsdepartmentactuallygottheirfirstdegreeinmathematics,thenwentintophysics.

Itwasverycommonatthattime.
SoIwouldsay,learningphysicswasabout50%appliedmathematics(butnever100%.)
Todaythereareareasofphysicsthatareabsolutelyincomprehensibletome,becauseofthe
mathematicsinvolvedstringtheoryisclearlyanexample.Also,verybrilliant
mathematicianshavebeenabletomakeprogressinphysicsby,forexample,finding
solutionstogeneralrelativityequations.
Butmostphysicistsareworkingintherealworld,comparingtheoreticalpredictionswith
experimentaldata.
Assuch,Iwouldsaythatwhenyouarelearningphysics,adisproportionateamountofitis
appliedmathematicsbutactualworkdoneandprogressmadeinphysicsisverylittle
downtomathematicsandmuchmoredowntoexperimentsandobservations.
WrittenMay7,2015ViewUpvotesAnswerrequestedbyFahranKamili
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SagunShrestha,Student,Learner,AmatureProgrammer
162Views

Physicsusesmathematics,withoutmathsphysicalphenomenonarehard(orimpossible)to
understandandexplainbutthatdoesn'tmeanitisabranchofappliedmath.Goingto
space,experimentingthenatureofsoundordropping2differentobjectsfrompizatower
isphysicsandnotappliedmath.
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WrittenMay11,2015
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LuizEduardo
158Views

Themathworksasalanguagetoexpresstheconceptswhereitisnecessarytoquantify
somethingasmeasuresforexample.
MichaelFaradaywasagreatchemisttheirhypotheseswereinterpretedinmathematical
formbymaxwell
WrittenMay7,2015
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MakarandApte,Physicsmyfavoritesubjectduringschooldays

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PhysicsistoMathematics
what
LiteratureistoGrammar
WrittenMay13,2015
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