BIOPHYS 370 001 FA 2025

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Physical and Chemical Principles Behind Biology and Medicine

BIOPHYS370 / CHEM370

Instructor   Magdalena Ivanova  Email: mivanova@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.

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.

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)

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)

Syllabus summary

Lectures will incorporate material from all references (see above).  Slides (PDF) are posted in Canvas under Files → Lectures, with links to the recordings under Pages.

  1. Classical thermodynamics: 
  • 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 

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

Office hours:                         4:00-4:30 T/TH 3040 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): Homework assignments are scheduled as follows: HW#1 – Sept 9; HW#2 – Oct 16; HW#3 – Nov 18; HW#4 – Dec 4. Each problem set is due by 5:00 pm one week after it is assigned. The three highest graded homeworks will be considered in the grade, and the one with the lowest grade will be dropped. 
  • Weekly Problem Sets: Beginning in Week 2 (Sept 1) and continuing through Week 13, problem sets will be assigned at the end of class, with the exception of Weeks 5, 8, and 10. The problems will be discussed and solved in the following class with active student participation. To receive full credit, each student must either (a) present and explain at least one problem on the board during the semester OR (b) post written solutions online each week (problem sets will not be graded for accuracy; points will be given for submission).
  • Term Project: Directions will be provided on October 16. Due at 6 pm, December 16. (Note the official date for the final exam assigned by the Office of Registrar is December 16)

                        Problem Sets:                     25%

                        Term Project                       15%

                        Exam 1 (90 minutes) 18%       Sept 23 (in class)

                        Exam 2 (90 minutes) 18%       Oct 28 (in class)       

                        Exam 3 (90 minutes) 18%       Dec 4 (in class)      

                       Weekly problem sets 6%

  • Exam material will be reviewed in the lectures prior to the exam.

Course requirements and grading roster

Grades will be assigned using the standard grading policy. 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