PHYS 280 - Physical Models of Biological Systems

Institution:

University of Pennsylvania

Subject:

Description:

Prerequisite(s): PHYS 101 (or higher), MATH 104 and (MATH 114 or MATH 115). Recommended: previous or concurrent PHYS 102; basic background in chemistry and biology. Classic case studies of successful reductionistic models of complex phenomena, emphasizing the key steps of (1) making estimates, often based on dimensional analysis, (2) using them to figure out which physical variables and phenomena will be most relevant to a given system, and which may be disregarded, and (3) finding analogies to purely physical systems whose behavior is already known. The cases studied involve basic biological processes, mainly at the molecular and cellular level, in the light of ideas from physics. Topics may include entropic forces, free energy transduction at the molecular level, the structure of biopolymers, molecular motors, pattern formation (oscillation and morphogenesis), immune response, nerve impulses and neural computing, and other forms of signal transduction.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.upenn.edu

Phone Number:

(215) 898-5000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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