This course will address basic physical questions posed by biological phenomena at the molecular and cellular level. After an introduction to the physical environs and structures of sub-cellular biology, the course will be organized roughly in thirds.
The first third of the class will focus on developing intuition for random walks, diffusion and the features of diffusive motion that underlie all biomolecular dynamics. The second third of the class will build on the basic concepts of thermal physics – temperature, energy, and entropy (that you might be seeing simultaneously in 119A) – to understand chemical forces and reactions that underlie and constrain biomolecular machinery. The final third applies these concepts to biomolecular state changes and specific biomolecular machinations. This upper division Physics elective course can be taken for either 3 or 4 units. To earn four units, students must complete one extra homework problem per week, and one extra (take home) problem for each exam. Students who sign up for four credits and then don't perform well on the additional problems, will have the option of being graded for only three credits on the basis of the other problems. Undergraduates may not enroll for less than 3 units.