Computational physics uses physical formulas and numerical algorithms to perform large-scale calculations with computers. It is debated whether it is a branch of theoretical or experimental physics. It is used in fields such as astrophysics and fluid mechanics. Courses are offered at the college level.
Computational physics is a field that uses both existing physical formulas and numerical algorithms to perform large-scale calculations with computers that would be time consuming and tedious to do by hand. Essentially, it is a branch of physics that deals with creating mathematical models and solutions using computers and programming. The mathematical models that physicists aim to create often involve large amounts of information that require very powerful computers to process.
The exact classification of computational physics in the general field of physics is often debated. Some consider it a branch of theoretical physics, as it tends to be involved in areas of physics that are still deeply theoretical with little solid experimental support. Others believe it should be considered a branch of experimental physics, as the data used typically comes from experiments. For the most part, however, scientists agree that it falls somewhere between the two disciplines and has both theoretical and experimental components.
Modern physics relies heavily on computers to work out much of the complex mathematical aspects of experiments and theories. Fields of physics such as astrophysics, fluid mechanics, and accelerator physics both depend on programming and computation. In accelerator physics, for example, computers must monitor, record and analyze large amounts of information each time particles collide in a particle accelerator. Computational solid-state physics attempts to uncover the link between the atomic properties of solids and their large-scale properties by analyzing large amounts of information about solids at the molecular level.
There are many other computationally solved tasks that can be loosely grouped under the field of computational physics. Often, tasks such as solving differential and integral equations or evaluating very large matrices are used to perform calculations on physical systems. These tasks could easily be classified as pure math, which is math done solely for the love of math. However, when performed to discern physics-related information, they can just as easily fall into the category of computational physics.
Many colleges offer courses in computational physics, although any pre-college education in the field is rare. Introductory college courses tend to teach basic programming principles and how to apply them to problems related to physics. Subsequent courses, often taught at the graduate level, teach how to manipulate and solve large problems made up of large amounts of data through the use of algorithms and advanced programming practices.
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