BIOPHYS 370 001 FA 2024

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Physical and Chemical Principles Behind Biology and Medicine

BIOPHYS370 / CHEM370

Instructor   Magdalena Ivanova  Email: mivanova@umich.edu

Graduate Student Instructor (GSI)  Hazen Hildebolt  Email: hazen@umich.edu

Description   

Physical Chemistry provides basic understanding of molecule properties across various scientific fields. This course introduces key topics such as thermodynamics, kinetics, statistical mechanics, and spectroscopy, emphasizing their relevance to biological processes and biomedical applications. 

The course will cover fundamental concepts and demonstrate their applications where feasible within the given time constraints. The primary goal is to bridge the gap between physical chemistry and biology by providing essential examples and analytical tools to understand the physical and chemical principles that drive biological systems.

For general information related to this course and various aspects of campus life, you can use MiMaizey. This resource provides details on building locations, computer lab availability, student organizations, dining hall menus, the academic calendar, and other essential information. Additionally, you can inquire about Biophys370 specifically by mentioning the course in your question. For example, you might ask, "What is a heat capacity defined in Biophys 370?"

Reading and Materials

Lectures will cover material listed below as well as recent research papers on biophysics related areas of research. Some of the materials are available for download from Canvas under Files/Materials. If you have any questions, you can also ask Maizey, the AI tutor trained on the class materials.

LaTeX equation converters can be found in

ChatGPT : https://chatgpt.com/g/g-oDmioY7gS-latex-equation-converter  

LaTeXtoImage: https://latex2image.joeraut.com/

LaTeX Equation in Word document : insert > equation >  insert new equation > select {}LaTeX (upper left corner)

Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences, T. Engel, G. Drobny and P. Reid can be borrowed for free from Internet Archive

Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences, Peter Atkins and Julio de Paula

Biological Physics (Energy, Information, Life), P. Nelson Freeman

Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, Hobbie & Roth

Biomedical physics with applications to disease,  by Ivanova & Dinov

Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics, Ashley H. Carter (e-version not available)

Syllabus summary

Lectures will incorporate material from all references (see above). Chapters are from Atkins and de Paula and are useful but not required background reading.  Lecture files (pdf format) will be posted in Canvas under Files/Lectures.

Lecture recordings will be posted in Canvas under Pages.

  1. Classical thermodynamics: (Chapters 1-4)
  • The first law of thermodynamics, state functions
  • The second and third laws of thermodynamics
  • Open systems, chemical potential, mixing, and chemical reactions
  1. Statistical thermodynamics
  • Microscopic description of thermodynamics / maximum entropy principle
  • Applications in biological systems
  1. Basics of quantum theory, atomic structure, & spectroscopy (Chapters 9, 12, 13)

Class Schedule                     11:30AM – 1:00PM T/TH        1650 CHEM

Office hours via Zoom: https://zoom.us/my/amyloid  password 430440

Magdalena Ivanova                Time: 10:45am-11:45am  Wednesday            Location: Zoom

Hazen Hildebolt                     Time: 12pm-1pm Monday                                Location: 4040 CHEM

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Please let me know if you need accommodation for a disability at your earliest convenience. Please be aware that exams must be scheduled at least two weeks before the exam date.

Religious holidays

Please let us know if you have conflicts with the examination dates.

Use of ChatGPT and other AI Tools

It’s your responsibility to assess every source’s reliability. AI tools like ChatGPT are a source that may inform your writing, just as books, papers, lecture notes, websites, and the results of Google searches. You should be aware that the output of AI tools is constructed to sound plausible and not checked by any expert.

AI tools can generate text, code, and images in response to a prompt. Such automatically generated text is not your work and cannot be submitted as if it is.  Exceptions are assignments that specifically ask for the use of AI.

Assignments & Grading:

  • Problem Sets (four): assigned in class. The problem sets are due no later than 5:00 pm one week from the assigned date. Solutions will be provided after the due date. The three highest graded homeworks will be considered in the grade, and the one with the lowest grade will be dropped. 
  • Special Project: A detailed direction will be provided. Due on 6pm on December 13, the final examination date scheduled by the Office of Registrar.

                        Problem Sets:            25%

                        Project                       15%

                        Exam 1 (90 minutes) 20%       09/24/2024 (in class) 

                        Exam 2 (90 minutes) 20%       10/24/2024 (in class)

                        Exam 3 (90 minutes) 20%       12/05/2024 (in class)

  • Part of the lectures prior to the exam will be dedicated to reviewing the material covered in the exam.

Course requirements and grading roster

We will deduct 25% of the exam grade for late submissions.

Grade

Range

A

100 %

to 93.0%

A-

< 93.0 %

to 90.0%

B+

< 90.0 %

to 87.0%

B

< 87.0 %

to 83.0%

B-

< 83.0 %

to 80.0%

C+

< 80.0 %

to 77.0%

C

< 77.0 %

to 74.0%

C-

< 74.0 %

to 70.0%

D+

< 70.0 %

to 67.0%

D

< 67.0 %

to 64.0%

D-

< 64.0 %

to 61.0%

F

< 61.0 %

to 0.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due