Imho, a lot of the “physics” lies in getting some intuition for the consequences/implications of some mathematical model (or, conversely use the same idea to pr

Imho, a lot of the “physics” lies in getting some intuition for the consequences/implications of some mathematical model (or, conversely use the same idea to propose new models). It’s one thing to succinctly write Maxwell’s equations in some chosen notation, but it’s another thing to understand why E & B fields in a light wave are separated by a pi/2 phase. Or why monopoles could exist and what their profile might look like (and the implications for charge quantization). While it’s technically true that it’s “just using math & computing consequences”, it’s an endeavor of enormous (essential) complexity, warranting focus and effort. Likewise that engineering is “just applied physics”, product design is “just applied engineering”, etc.