There are 3 areas of Physics.
- Applied physics is physics which is intended for a particular technological or practical use. It is usually considered as a bridge or a connection between physics and engineering.
- Experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines in the field of physics that are concerned with the observation of physical phenomena and experiments. Methods vary from discipline to discipline, from simple experiments and observations, such as the Cavendish experiment, to more complicated ones, such as the Large Hadron Collider.
- Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experimental tools to probe these phenomena.
I fall into the first area, Applied Physics and partially the second, Experimental. I fall into those areas because I need to be able to repeat my findings and expect them to remain the same. Any change is an indicator that the system has changed.
Theoretical physics is sorcery.