Schedule -- Losert

You can find an overview of the readings for this class (plus readings I am not assigning) at: Working Content I

Notes: This schedule is tentative and subject to change. For BOLD Reading Assignments, you need to write a summary and ask a question online in Webassign. This is due 10 PM the previous evening. In addition, Homework is due Friday at 5pm via webassign.

The content column links to slides from the PowerPoint presentation used in class. They will be posted either just before or just after the class takes place. Note that these slides only represent a skeleton of the presentation and do not include solutions to problems and questions posed, derivations, or representations of class discussions. 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. The files are Adobe PDF files.

 

Date Class Reading Content Quiz

Week 1

Recitation: No Reciation Lab: No Lab
9/4 1

1.Introduction to the class
1.1The disciplines: Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Math
1.1.1Science as making models
1.1.4What 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?
9/6 2

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: Survey and Intro
9/9 3 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
9/11 4 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
9/13 5 3.2.2 Acceleration
3.2.2.1 Average acceleration
3.2.2.2 Instantaneous acceleration
3.2.2.3 Calculating with constant acceleration

acceleration

Week 3

Recitation: Cat and Antelope Lab: Quantifying motion from Images and Videos
9/16 6 4.1.1 Physical content of Newton's Laws
4.1.1.1 Object egotism
4.1.1.2 Inertia

Physical content of Newton's Laws; Quiz 2
9/18 7 4.1.1.3 Interactions
4.1.1.4 Superposition
4.1.1.5 Mass
4.1.1.6 Reciprocity
4.1.2.2.2 System Schema Introduction

Physical content of Newton's laws
9/20 8 4.1.2.2 Newton 0
4.1.2.2.1 Free-body diagrams
Newton 0 and System Schema

Week 4

Recitation:Thinking about forces for objects and systems Lab: Quantifying motion from Images and Videos
9/23 9 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 2 Quiz 3
9/25 10 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's 3rd law
9/27 11 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
Forces: Springs, tension, and normal forces

Week 5

Recitation: The spring constant of DNA Lab 2: Inferring force characteristics from motion analysis.
9/30 12 4.2.1.3 Tension forces 
4.2.2 Resistive forces
4.2.2.1 Friction
Forces: Springs, tension, and normal forces Quiz 4
10/2 13 Review for Midterm 1 Review
10/4 14 No HW due MID TERM 1

Week 6

Recitation: Lab: Inferring force characteristics from motion analysis
10/7 15 4.2.2.2 Viscosity
4.2.2.3 Drag
Go over midterm/ viscosity and drag
10/9 16

4.2.3 Gravitational forces
4.2.3.1 Flat-earth gravity

Springs and Resistive Forces
10/11 17 4.2.3.1.1 Free-fall in flat-earth gravity
4.2.3.3 The gravitational field

Gravity

Week 7

Recitation: Lab: Observing Brownian motion
10/14 18 4.2.4 Electric forces
4.2.4.1 Charge and the structure of matter
4.2.4.2 Polarization
Electric force and polarization Quiz 5
10/16 19 4.2.4.3 Coulomb's law 
4.2.4.3.1 Coulomb's law -- vector character
4.2.4.3.2 Reading the content in Coulomb's law
Coulomb's law
10/18 20 4.2.4.4 The Electric field  Electric Field

Week 8

Recitation: Lab: Observing Brownian motion
10/21 21 4.3 Coherent vs. random motion
4.3.1 Linear momentum
4.3.1.1 Restating Newton's 2nd law: momentum
Electric Fields and Momentum Quiz 6
10/23 22 4.3.1.2 Momentum conservation
4.3.2 The role of randomness: Biological implications
4.3.2.1 Diffusion and random walks
Coherent motion: Momentum and Momentum conservation
10/25 23 4.3.2.2 Fick's law Random motion and diffusion -- Fick's law

Week 9

Recitation: Lab: Observing Brownian motion
10/28 24 Random Motion and Diffusion Quiz 7
10/30 25 5.2 Fluids
5.2.1 Pressure
7.1 Kinetic theory: the ideal gas law
Basics of fluids: pressure and temperature
11/1 26

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

Properties of solids and gels

Week 10

Recitation: Lab: The competition between Brownian motion and directed forces
11/4 27 Buoyancy Quiz 8
11/6 28 No HW due Intro to fluids
11/8 29 MID TERM 2

Week 11

Recitation: Lab: The competition between Brownian motion and directed forces
11/11 30

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

Go over midterm/ fluids
11/13 31

5.2.5.2.1 Surface tension
5.2.6 Fluid flow
5.2.6.1 Quantifying fluid flow

Fluid flow
11/15 32 5.2.6.2 The continuity equation
5.2.6.3 Internal flow -- the HP equation
Fluid flow -- the HP equation

Week 12

Recitation: Lab: Motion and Work in living systems
11/18 33 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
Work and energy Quiz 9
11/20 34 6.2 Energy of place -- potential energy
6.2.1 Gravitational potential energy
Work and energy
11/22 35 6.2.2 Spring potential energy
6.2.3 Electric potential energy
Energy and Energy conservation

Week 13

Recitation: Lab: no lab
11/25 36 6.3 The conservation of mechanical energy
6.3.1 Interpreting mechanical energy graphs
6.3.2 Mechanical energy loss -- thermal energy
Energy conservation
11/27 37 6.3.3 Forces from potential energy
6.4.1 Energy at the sub-molecular level
6.4.2 Atomic and Molecular forces
Energy and molecular forces

Week 14

Recitation: Lab: Motion and Work in living systems
12/2 38 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 Quiz 10
12/4 39 5.3 Heat and temperature
5.3.2 Thermal properties of matter
5.3.2.1 Thermal energy and specific heat
Heat, temperature, and the 1st law
12/6 40 5.3.2.2 Heat capacity
5.3.2.3 Heat transfer
I-2: Interlude 2: The Micro to Macro Connection
Heat, temperature, and the 1st law

Week 15

Recitation: Lab: Makeup Labs and Surveys
12/9 41 7. Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
7.3 The 1st law of thermodynamics
Entropy Quiz 11
12/11 42 7.4.1 Why we need a 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
7.4.2 The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: A Probabilistic Law
7.4.3 Implications of the Second Law of Thermodynamics
The second law
12/13 43 Review

Final Exam

Wednesday December 18th 6.30pm-8.30pm
University of Maryland

Contact

Edited by E.F. Redish and W. Losert August 2013