These laws are also applied by physicists to design smaller and faster computer chips and to develop new medical imaging technologies. The program at Augustana College will expose students to both the fundamental and applied aspects of physics. Physics has advanced through theoretical and experimental work. Theoretical physics involves the discovery of patterns in nature that can be described by mathematical models. These models are a powerful tool for predicting and understanding the complex behavior of nature.
Experimental physics requires careful observation and investigation of physical systems.
These observations are the ultimate judge of our theoretical models. The course work at Augustana introduces students to both theoretical and experimental approaches to physics. Computers are changing the way that both experimental and theoretical physics are done. The use of computers has been integrated into the physics curriculum at Augustana. Computer control of instrumentation is part of several laboratories and students have the opportunity to learn how to interface with scientific instruments using the Labview programming language.