Schedule for Readings, Lectures

Notes: All of the reading assignments appear as Expert TA assignments; they are also listed here for convenience. Some Expert TA problems simply take you to the page you need to read and involve no credit; others have follow-up questions you must answer to get the points. Reading assignments are due at 11:59 pm the night before each lecture.

The "Content" column gives the general topic of each lecture. A condensed version of the PowerPoint file will be posted before each lecture on the course Blackboard site. This file will contain a few "Foothold" principles, plus clicker questions on that day's material. You may wish to bring a printout to class with you. If you miss a class, these notes do not suffice to fill you in on what happened! Be sure to check with someone who actually attended.

 

Class Reading   Content Lab

Week 1

 Recitation: Modelling capillaries Lab: Intro to Excel, mechanics pre-test
Jan 7 Lect 1
Physics AND Biology

1 Introduction to the class
1.1 The disciplines: Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Math
1.1.1 Science as making models
1.1.4 What Physics can do for Biologists
1.2 Thinking about Thinking and Knowing
1.2.1 The nature of scientific knowledge

Why is this class different?
Jan 9 Lect 2
Measured Quantities

2. Modeling with mathematics
2.1 Using math in science
2.1.1 How math in science is different from math in math
2.1.2 Measurement
2.1.3 Dimensions and units
2.1.3.1 Complex dimensions and dimensional analysis
2.1.3.2 Changing units
2.1.4 Estimation 
2.1.4.1 Useful numbers

Measurement and Math: Dimensions and Units

Week 2

Recitation:
How big is a worm?		 Lab 1a:
Quantifying motion from Images and Videos
Jan 14 Lect 3
Describing Motion		 I-1 Interlude 1: The Main Question: How do things move?
3 Kinematics: Where and When?
3.1.1 Coordinates
3.1.2 Vectors
3.1.3 Time 
3.1.4 Kinematics Graphs

Coordinates, graphs, and vectors

 Quiz 1
Jan 16 Lect 4
Changing Motion		 2.2.5 Values, change, and rates of change
2.2.5.1 Derivatives
2.2.5.1.1 What is a derivative, anyway?
3.2 Kinematic Variables
3.2.1 Velocity
3.2.1.1 Average velocity
3.2.1.2 Instantaneous velocity
3.2.1.3 Calculating with average velocity

Rate of change and velocity -- instantaneous and average

Week 3 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Holiday

 Recitation:
The cat and the antelope		 Lab 1b:
Quantifying motion from Images and Videos
Jan 23 Lect 5
Acceleration & Newton		 3.2.2 Acceleration
3.2.2.1 Average acceleration
3.2.2.2 Instantaneous acceleration
3.2.2.3 Calculating with constant acceleration
4.1 Newton's Laws
4.1.1 Physical content of Newton's Laws

Graphs & consistency; acceleration

 Quiz 2

Week 4

 Recitation:
Forces for objects & systems
 Lab 2a:
Inferring force characteristics from motion analysis
Jan 28 Lect 6
Newton's Laws		 4.1.1.1 Object egotism
4.1.1.2 Inertia
4.1.1.3 Interactions
4.1.1.4 Superposition:
4.1.1.5 Mass
4.1.1.6 Reciprocity

Physical content of Newton's laws

 Quiz 3
Jan 30 Lect 7
FREE BODY DIAGRAMS!		 4.1.2.2 Newton 0
4.1.2.2.1 Free-body diagrams
4.1.2.2.2 System Schema Introduction
4.1.2.4 Newton's 2nd law 
4.1.2.4.1 Reading the content in Newton's 2nd law 
4.1.2.4.2 Newton 2 as a stepping rule
4.1.2.4.2.1 Newton 2 on a spreadsheet

What's a force? Newton 0 & 1

Week 5

 Recitation:
The spring constant of DNA		 Lab 2b:
Inferring force characteristics from motion analysis
Feb 4 Lect 8
The Third Law		 4.1.2.5 Newton's 3rd law 
4.1.2.5.1 Using system schemas for Newton's 3rd law
4.1.2 Formulation of Newton's Laws as foothold principles
4.1.2.1 Quantifying impulse and force

Newton 2 and 3

 Quiz 4
Feb 6 Lect 9
Different Forces		 4.2 Kinds of Forces
4.2.1 Springs 
4.2.1.1 Realistic springs
4.2.1.2 Normal forces
4.2.1.2.1 A simple model of solid matter
4.2.1.3 Tension forces 
4.2.2 Resistive forces
4.2.2.1 Friction

Forces: Springs, tension, normal, and friction forces

Week 6

 Recitation:
Motion of a paramecium		 Lab 3a:
Observing Brownian motion
Feb 11 Midterm exam  

MIDTERM 1
Feb 13 Lect 10
Fluid Forces		 4.2.2.2 Viscosity
4.2.2.3 Drag

Go over midterm,
Springs

Week 7

 Recitation:
Electrostatic force and Hydrogen bonds
 Lab 3b:
Observing Brownian motion
Feb 18 Lect 11
Gravity

4.2.3 Gravitational forces
4.2.3.1 Flat-earth gravity
4.2.3.1.1 Free-fall in flat-earth gravity
4.2.3.3 The gravitational field

Viscosity and drag,
Gravity

 Quiz 5
Feb 20 Lect 12
Electric Forces		 4.2.4 Electric forces
4.2.4.1 Charge and the structure of matter
4.2.4.2 Polarization
4.2.4.3 Coulomb's law 

Electric force and polarization

Week 8

 Recitation:
Electrophoresis		 Lab 3c:
Observing Brownian motion
Feb 25 Lect 13
Electric Field		 4.2.4.3.1 Coulomb's law -- vector character
4.2.4.3.2 Reading the content in Coulomb's law
4.2.4.4 The Electric field 

Coulomb's law

 

 Quiz 6
Feb 27 Lect 14
Momentum		 4.3 Coherent vs. random motion
4.3.1 Linear momentum
4.3.1.1 Restating Newton's 2nd law: momentum
4.3.1.2 Momentum conservation

Coherent motion: Momentum and Momentum conservation

Week 9

 Recitation:
Gas properties and pressure		 Lab 4a:
The competition between Brownian motion and directed forces
Mar 4 Lect 15
Random Motion		 4.3.2 The role of randomness: Biological implications
4.3.2.1 Diffusion and random walks
4.3.2.2 Fick's law

Random motion and emergence

 Quiz 7
Mar 6 Lect 16
Models of Matter

5. Macro models of matter
5.1.1 Density-solids
5.1.2 Young's modulus
5.1.6 Soft matter
5.1.6.1 Mechanical properties of cells

Diffusion -- Fick's law

Week 11

 Recitation:
Diffusion in cells		 Lab 4b:
The competition between Brownian motion and directed forces
Mar 18 Lect 17
Pressure		 5.2 Fluids
5.2.1 Pressure
7.1 Kinetic theory: the ideal gas law

Basics of fluids:
kinetic theory

 Quiz 8
Mar 20 Lect 18
Buoyancy

3.1.2.3 The gradient: a vector derivative
5.2.2 Archimedes' Principle
5.2.3 Buoyancy
5.2.5.2.1 Surface tension

Pressure

Week 12

 Recitation:
Fluid Flow		 Lab 4c:
The competition between Brownian motion and directed forces
Mar 25 Midterm Exam  

MIDTERM 2
Mar 27 Lect 19
More Fluids...		 Go over midterm
Intro to fluids, Buoyancy

Week 13

 Recitation:
Energy skate park and collisions		 Lab 5a:
Motion and Work in living systems
Apr 1 Lect 20
Flowing Fluids

5.2.6 Fluid flow
5.2.6.1 Quantifying fluid flow
5.2.6.2 The continuity equation
5.2.6.3 Internal flow -- the HP equation

 Fluid flow -- the HP equation Quiz 9
Apr 3 Lect 21
Work & Kinetic Energy		 6. Energy: The Quantity of Motion
6.1 Kinetic energy and the work-energy theorem
6.1.1 Reading the content in the Work-Energy theorem
6.2 Energy of place -- potential energy		 Work and kinetic energy

Week 14

 Recitation:
Protein Stability		 Lab 5b:
Motion and Work in living systems
Apr 8 Lect 22
Potential Energy
6.2.1 Gravitational potential energy
6.2.2 Spring potential energy
6.2.3 Electric potential energy		 Potential energy Quiz 10
Apr 10 Lect 23
Energy Conservation		 6.3 The conservation of mechanical energy
6.3.1 Interpreting mechanical energy graphs
6.3.2 Mechanical energy loss -- thermal energy
6.3.3 Forces from potential energy		   Energy conservation

Week 15

 Recitation:
Temperature Regulation		 Lab 5c:
Motion and Work in living systems
Apr 15 Lect 24
Atoms & Bound States		 6.4.1 Energy at the sub-molecular level
6.4.2 Atomic and Molecular forces
6.4.2.1 Interatomic forces
6.4.2.1.1 The Lennard-Jones Potential
6.4.2.2 Chemical bonding 		Energy and molecular forces;
Kinetic theory and the ideal gas law		 Quiz 11
Apr 17 Lect 25
Heat		 5.3 Heat and temperature
5.3.2 Thermal properties of matter
5.3.2.1 Thermal energy and specific heat
5.3.2.2 Heat capacity
5.3.2.3 Heat transfer 		Heat, temperature, and the 1st law

Week 16

 Recitation: Makeup labs
Apr 22 Lect 26
The First Law		 I-2: Interlude 2: The Micro to Macro Connection
7. Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
7.3 The 1st law of thermodynamics
7.4.1 Why we need a 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
Entropy
Apr 24 Lect 27
Entropy & the 2nd Law		 7.4.2 The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: A Probabilistic Law
7.4.3 Implications of the Second Law of Thermodynamics 		The Second law

Edited by S. M. Durbin January 2019