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  • © 2023

Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences

  • Provides a complete course for biology and pre-medical students, with exercises, activities, and computational tasks

  • Explains concepts from physics and connects them to biology using innovative examples, many inspired by research topics

  • Enables easy classroom use with learning goals and competencies for each chapter

Part of the book series: Undergraduate Texts in Physics (UNTEPH)

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Table of contents (19 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxiv
  2. Vectors and Kinematics

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 1-35
  3. Force and Momentum: Newton’s Laws and How to Apply Them

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 37-130
  4. Energy: Work, Geckos, and ATP

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 131-184
  5. Random Walks: Brownian Motion and the Tree of Life

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 237-283
  6. Diffusion: Membrane Permeability and the Rate of Actin Polymerization

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 285-336
  7. Rates of Change: Drugs, Infections, and Weapons of Mass Destruction

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 337-387
  8. Statistical Mechanics: Boltzmann Factors, PCR, and Brownian Ratchets

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 389-446
  9. Fluid Mechanics: Laminar Flow, Blushing, and Murray’s Law

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 447-497
  10. Oscillations and Resonance

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 499-542
  11. Wave Equations: Strings and Wind

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 543-594
  12. Gauss’s Law: Charges and Electric Fields

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 595-623
  13. Electric Potential, Capacitors, and Dielectrics

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 625-668
  14. Optics: Refraction, Eyes, Lenses, Microscopes, and Telescopes

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 705-734
  15. Biologic: Genetic Circuits and Feedback

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 735-762
  16. Magnetic Fields and Ampere’s Law

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 763-791
  17. Faraday’s Law and Electromagnetic Induction

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 793-829
  18. Maxwell’s Equations and Then There Was Light

    • Simon Mochrie, Claudia De Grandi
    Pages 831-843

About this book

This classroom-tested textbook is an innovative, comprehensive, and forward-looking introductory undergraduate physics course. While it clearly explains physical principles and equips the student with a full range of quantitative tools and methods, the material is firmly grounded in biological relevance and is brought to life with plenty of biological examples throughout.

It is designed to be a self-contained text for a two-semester sequence of introductory physics for biology and premedical students, covering kinematics and Newton’s laws, energy, probability, diffusion, rates of change, statistical mechanics, fluids, vibrations, waves, electromagnetism, and optics.

Each chapter begins with learning goals, and concludes with a summary of core competencies, allowing for seamless incorporation into the classroom. In addition, each chapter is replete with a wide selection of creative and often surprising examples, activities, computational tasks, and exercises, many of which are inspired by current research topics, making cutting-edge biological physics accessible to the student.

Keywords

  • biophysics textbook
  • physics for life sciences textbook
  • physics for premed
  • probability for life sciences;
  • statistical physics for life sciences
  • mechanics for life sciences
  • thermodynamics for life sciences;
  • mathematical methods for life sciences
  • electromagnetism for life sciences
  • quantum mechanics for life sciences
  • optics for life sciences
  • waves for life sciences

Authors and Affiliations

  • Departments of Physics and Applied Physics, Yale University, New Haven, USA

    Simon Mochrie

  • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA

    Claudia De Grandi

About the authors

Simon Mochrie has been on the faculty at Yale University since 2000 as a Professor Physics and of Applied Physics. For the last decade, his research has focused on the physics of living systems, during which period he also developed and taught the introductory physics for the life sciences course on which this book is based. In 2021, he was awarded Yale’s Dylon Hixon ’88 Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Natural Sciences for his teaching of this course.

Claudia De Grandi joined the Physics and Astronomy Department at University of Utah in 2018 as an Assistant Professor (Lecturer) of Educational Practice. One of her main roles is to implement and promote evidence-based teaching pedagogies in introductory physics courses and improve the teaching quality and inclusiveness of physics and STEM courses more broadly.  At the University of Utah, as well as previously as a Teaching Postdoctoral Scholar at Yale University, she has been working to reform the Introductory Physics curriculum for Life Sciences majors (pre-medical students and biology majors), both the lecture courses, as well as the laboratory ones. She was awarded the 2021-2022 College of Science Distinguished Educator Award.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access