Physics, Physical, Physikalische, Physische

Sometimes you can go a long time saying the wrong word and even though people give you funny looks when you say it, no one corrects you.

I have been telling people that I'm studying "physikalische Geographie", when apparently I should have been saying "physische Geographie".

Now, I think you can see the English assumptions behind these two adjectives. I think of physikalische as being along the lines of the English physical and physische being along the lines of the English physics. But, the dictionary says otherwise.

Apparently, physische means physical, whereas physikalische is always paired with technical and physics concepts like chemistry and radioactive half lives.

Oops. Lesson learned.