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Asked by gravitygals to Aislinn, Fiona, Nathan, Padraic, Sinead on 6 Feb 2015.
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Padraic Morrissey answered on 6 Feb 2015:
There can be a very big difference between pure physics and engineering, but it really depends what area you get into. When I went to college I got my degree in Physics and then went on to do a PhD in applied optics. My PhD was a really nice mixture of physics and engineering because it was in the space where they kind of overlap. Some of my friends went on to do different PhDs where there was no engineering at all!
Pure physics tends to be highly theoretical, so you’re analysing equations and trying to figure out how things work on a really fundamental level. An example of this would be in quantum mechanics, where it is very theory based but there is a lot of really interesting physics going on.
With college courses, there is definitely more theory work in Physics than engineering. My own experience would be that in Physics you try to figure why certain things are the way they are, while in engineering you to use the maths/physics you’ve learned to solve real world problems. But there is a big overlap between the two!
In the work place I think it really helps to have people who are a mixture of an engineer/physicist because it gives you a different perspective on certain problems.
I hope that answers your question!
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Nathan Quinlan answered on 6 Feb 2015:
Hi gravitygals. There’s a healthy rivalry between physics and engineering, but maybe the difference is not as huge as we think. I know a few physicists (like Padraic) who became engineers. A famous engineer, Sadi Carnot, discovered one of the most important laws of physics while he was thinking about steam engines. Last year, 3 engineers won the Nobel Prize for physics for developing blue and white LEDs – but every newspaper report called them physicists or scientists :[
There is bit of a difference in the mindset, though. My favourite engineers, the Wright Brothers, are a nice example of the difference between engineers and physicists. They wanted to do one thing – make an aeroplane – and they were single-minded about it. They did a huge amount of testing to find out what shape worked best for a wing, but they didn’t worry too much about how it worked. When it was time to make an engine, they calculated exactly how much power they needed and how heavy it could be, and they made an engine to that spec, and no better. It was actually not a great engine, even by 1903 standards, but it was enough. The rest is history!
Personally I do like to be distracted by finding out interesting stuff, when I should be pressing on to get the result. Maybe I’m 10% physicist.
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Sinead Quirke answered on 6 Feb 2015:
Hi
Engineering is very practical and I think physics is more theoretical. I have never worked with any physicists or come across any person who has introduced themselves as physicist at any conference or training courses I have been on. I imagine most physicists work in research.I hadn’t appreciated until now that Padraic is also a physicist so he is certainly best placed to answer your question.
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Aislinn Coghlan answered on 9 Feb 2015:
Hi gravity gals,
Like the others said, physics is more theoretical. In the worlds of Sheldon Cooper of the big bang theory – We’re the uumpa loop as of science!
Comments
Padraic commented on :
I’m not sure if it’s the same where you work Nathan, but the places I’ve been the engineers really didn’t like being called “Physicists” and the Physicists never liked being called “Engineers”! I don’t really understand it myself, especially because the job you do can be almost identical depending on the field you’re in.
Nathan commented on :
Padraic, I think it’s the same the world over!
I should add as well, engineering is very broad, and some engineers are closer to physics than others. The ones wearing hardhats, getting a bridge built, are more concerned with how much the diggers will cost than they are with Newton’s Laws. They’re thinking on their feet and talking to people while I’m working on equations or twiddling knobs in the lab. There is something for everybody.