What Does a Computational Physicist Do?

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A computational physicist typically engages in a blend of programming and problem-solving, with the balance between the two depending on whether they focus on theoretical or experimental physics. In experimental settings, tasks may involve processing live data using techniques like Fourier transforms and classification measures, while theoretical work often requires extensive modeling and mathematical formulation before coding. Regardless of the specific focus, it is emphasized that having a clear, documented solution before coding is beneficial for effective implementation. This highlights the intersection of physics and computer science in the field of computational physics, where both disciplines play crucial roles.
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I'm an undergraduate aiming for a physics major, and I love computer science and numerical algorithms. I'm wondering: What does a computational physicist do? Would a computational physicist be programming all day or solving equations all day?

I'm just kind of confused where the physics ends and the computer science begins, as far as careers go.
 
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Depends if you do theoretical or experimental. I worked in a lab where we just processed live acoustic data (Fourier transforms an classification measures), but I've also worked in modeling where you do a lot of scratching on paper as well.

In both though, it's good to have your solutions on paper before you go to code
 

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