2 days agoSpecific Heat CapacityOne of the most important parameters in thermodynamics is the specific heat capacity. In Chapter 3 of Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, Russ Hobbie and I define the specific heat capacity in this way: Consider a system into which a small amount of heat Q flows. In many cases…Heat Capacity3 min read
Jun 17LimpingIn Chapter 1 of Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, Russ Hobbie and I discuss biomechanics. One of our most important examples is the force on the hip. The forces in the hip joint can be several times a person’s weight, and the use of a cane can be very…Biomechanics3 min read
Jun 10The Genetics of Cystic FibrosisIn Appendix H of Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, Russ Hobbie and I briefly mention the severe lung disease cystic fibrosis. Analyzing this disease provides an opportunity to examine the prevalence of a genetic disorder. I’ll do this by creating a new homework problem. Appendix H Problem 5 ½…Cystic Fibrosis3 min read
Jun 3Roger Bacon, Biological PhysicistAbout a year ago I began reading the eleven-volume series The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant. I just finished Volume 4, The Age of Faith. A History of Medieval Civilization — Christian, Islamic, and Judaic — from Constantine to Dante: A.D. 325–1300. Of course, I’m always on…The Story Of Civilization4 min read
May 27Radiology in Our Changing Climate: A Call to ActionLately I’ve been thinking more and more about the importance of combating climate change, which may be the most urgent technological challenge of our time. But you haven’t seen much about it in this blog, because climate change doesn’t have much to do with Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology…Climate Change4 min read
May 20Using the Mechanical Bidomain Model to Analyze the Biomechanical Behavior of CardiomyocytesDuring the decade of 2010–2020, my research shifted from bioelectricity and biomagnetism to biomechanics and mechanotransduction. I took the bidomain model of cardiac electrophysiology— described in Chapter 7 of Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology — and adapted it to describe growth and remodeling in response to mechanical forces. In…Mechanotransduction2 min read
May 13Aquaporins and Peter AgreIn Chapter 5 of Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, Russ Hobbie and I mention aquaporins, a type of membrane channel. In a footnote, we write Some aquaporins are permeable only to water, and not to any other small molecules or ions, even hydrogen ions (Preston et al. 1992). Aquaporins…Aquaporins3 min read
May 6Are Electromagnetic Fields Making Me Ill? How Electricity and Magnetism Affect Our HealthBig News! This week Springer published my new book: Are Electromagnetic Fields Making Me Ill? How Electricity and Magnetism Affect Our Health. This book is different from Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology: it’s short (122 pages), uses no math, and is aimed at a general audience. Readers of this…Physics3 min read
Apr 29How the Attenuation of Light Depends on WavelengthIn Chapter 14 of Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, Russ Hobbie and I discuss the absorption of light by water. Our Figure 14.14 …Attenuation Of Light3 min read
Apr 22So Simple a BeginningMy friend Raghuveer (Raghu) Parthasarathy (author of the blog The Eighteenth Elephant) recently published a biological physics book titled So Simple a Beginning: How Four Physical Principles Shape Our Living World. Here is an excerpt from his introduction. I’ve already hinted at the view of nature… this book expands upon…Raghuveer Parthasarathy4 min read
