BIOPHYS 370 001 FA 2026

Jump to Today

Physical and Chemical Principles Behind Biology and Medicine

BIOPHYS370 / CHEM370

Instructor   Magdalena Ivanova  Email: mivanova@umich.edu

Description   

This course introduces the fundamental principles of physical chemistry, including thermodynamics, kinetics, statistical mechanics, quantum theory, and spectroscopy, with an emphasis on their applications to biological and biomedical systems. Students will develop a basic understanding of how physical and chemical principles govern molecular interactions, energy transfer, reaction dynamics, and other processes in living systems. The course aims to bridge physical chemistry and biology by providing the concepts and analytical tools needed to interpret problems in biochemistry, biology, and medicine from a molecular and quantitative perspective.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Syllabus summary: Lectures will incorporate material from all references (see above). Slides (PDF) are posted in Canvas under Files → Lectures.

  1. Classical Thermodynamics (Atkins & de Paula, Chapters 1–4)
    • The First Law of Thermodynamics and state functions
    • The Second and Third Laws of Thermodynamics
    • Open systems, chemical potential, mixing, and chemical reactions
  1. Statistical Thermodynamics (Atkins & de Paula, Chapter 12; Nelson, Chapters 3 and 6–8)
    • Microscopic description of thermodynamics and the maximum entropy principle
    • Boltzmann distribution, microstates, and molecular interpretation of thermodynamic quantities
    • Applications of statistical thermodynamics to biological systems
  1. Basics of Quantum Theory, Atomic and Molecular Structure, and Spectroscopy (Engel, Drobny & Reid, Chapters 11-18; Atkins & de Paula, Chapters 9–10 and 13–14)
    • Fundamental principles of quantum theory
    • Atomic and molecular structure
    • Introduction to optical spectroscopy and magnetic resonance
    • Applications of spectroscopy to biological systems

 

Assignments & Grading

Weight

Term Project posted Oct 22 / due Dec 18

14%

Attendance

3%

Participation

3%

Exam 1 (90 minutes)  Sept 29 (in class)

20%

Exam 2 (90 minutes)  Nov 3 (in class)

20%

Exam 3 (90 minutes)  Dec 8 (in class)

20%

Weekly Spot-Check Quizzes starting Sept 15

20%

Assignments description:

  • Term Project: It replaces the final exam. Directions will be provided on October 22 and is due on December 18. Note the official date for the final exam assigned by the Office of Registrar is 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm, Friday, December 18.
  • Exams: Exam material will be reviewed in the lectures prior to the exam. Your lowest exam score is automatically replaced by the average of your other two exams, if that average is higher.
  • Weekly Practice Problems/Spot-Check: Each Weekly Spot-Check assignment consists of Two Parts.

               Part 1 – Weekly Practice Problems (60% of the grade for this assignment): Practice problems will be posted in Canvas Discussions at the end of class each Thursday (starting September 10). Students should upload handwritten solutions before class by the following Tuesday. These submissions are evaluated for completion and genuine effort, not accuracy.

              Part 2 – In-Class Spot-Check Quizzes (40% of the grade for this assignment): During the first 15 minutes of class each Tuesday, students will work independently and closed-book on one problem selected from that week’s practice set. A formula sheet may be provided at the instructor’s discretion. After the quiz, quizzes will be graded using the grading rubric posted here.

There will be 9 Weekly Spot-Check assignments during the semester. The first will take place on September 15. There will be no Spot-Check Quizzes on September 1 or September 8, on exam days (September 29, November 3, and December 8), or when Tuesday class falls on a holiday (October 20 this semester).

  • Attendance: Attendance will be taken if less than half the class is present. You can miss up to two classes for illness, job interviews, or other reasons. You don't need to email me about these absences.
  • Class Participation: Please participate regularly by working on problems in class, asking questions, etc. What matters most is staying involved with the course material.

Grading roster: Grades will be assigned using the standard grading policy. We will deduct 5% 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