Application of mathematical methods to problems in physics

Mathematical physics

Mathematical physics

Mathematical physics refers to the development of <a href="/en/Mathematics" title="Mathematics" class="wl">mathematical</a> methods for application to problems in <a href="/en/Physics" title="Physics" class="wl">physics</a>. The <a href="/en/Journal_of_Mathematical_Physics" title="Journal of Mathematical Physics" class="wl">Journal of Mathematical Physics</a> defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods suitable for such applications and for the formulation of physical theories".<a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a> An alternative definition would also include those mathematics that are inspired by physics (also known as <a href="/en/Physical_mathematics" title="Physical mathematics" class="wl">physical mathematics</a>).<a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Application of mathematical methods to problems in physics</div>

<figure class="mw-halign-right wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:StationaryStatesAnimation.gif" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:StationaryStatesAnimation.gif"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/StationaryStatesAnimation.gif" decoding="async" data-file-width="300" data-file-height="280" data-file-type="bitmap" height="280" width="300" alt="StationaryStatesAnimation.gif"></a><figcaption>An example of mathematical physics: solutions of <a href="/en/Schrödinger's_equation" title="Schrödinger's equation" class="mw-redirect wl">Schrödinger's equation</a> for <a href="/en/Quantum_harmonic_oscillator" title="Quantum harmonic oscillator" class="wl">quantum harmonic oscillators</a>&nbsp;(left) with their <a href="/en/Probability_amplitude" title="Probability amplitude" class="wl">amplitudes</a> (right).</figcaption></figure>

Mathematical physics refers to the development of mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The Journal of Mathematical Physics defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods suitable for such applications and for the formulation of physical theories". 