盧志遠 Chih-Yuan Lu

From Pure Physics to Applied Science & Engineering
由格物致知以致於經世濟人

Abstract:

Physics is the study of nature in order to understand the basics of how the world and universe behave. It maybe the oldest academic disciplines. Physics study is not only interesting to satisfy human’s fundamental curiosity, but also brought up the development of new technologies, and also resonate to explore the insights and foreseeing for the advancement of other sciences, concepts, and philosophy. A physicist has interest and intension to develop a new technology or solving a particular problem becomes an applied physicist. People who try to design something in particular and make innovative ideas realized into products are engineer who usually used physics knowledge heavily. Without controlling the solid physics of the engineering discipline, rapidly continuous steady advancement in technology is impossible

Several examples are used to illustrate these long interesting journeys from physics understanding to technology developments, and then end up to those engineering achievements changing human life in the world. The mutual interactions among technologies and physics are also strongly formed a positive feedback loop.

We also discuss how a great physicist could thread through the fundamentals to a useful engineering approximation with a strict physics foundation for critical feasible and simple engineering applications, and make so complex engineering problem can be handled by a real world methodology. Modern industry and business was established by such a translation of knowledge. A few possible future disruptive technologies which physicist must make major contributions are suggested and discussed.