Scientific Method

In order to uncover these 'laws of nature', physics (like all science) relies on a deliberately-structured process of

• observe a natural phenomenon, (for example thanks to an experimentation)
• creating a theory or model,
• testing the theory or model,
• adjusting the theory or model based on the results of the test,
• and repeating the above process with the adjusted theory or model.

This process is known as the 'scientific method'. Most curriculums thus incorporate elements of both theory (principally, what laws others have found in the past) and practical (how to undertake experiments and observations).