Biophysics education

Abstract

Many topics in basic physics are presented to the students based on examples that they find too intangible, uninteresting and unrelated to the real world. We propose here some examples from the biological world that can equally be used to illustrate seemingly arcane physical principles and laws [1] [2]. Energetic aspects of the Krebs Cycle, the Calvin Cycle, and the ion pump can make learning of thermodynamics and electricity much more realistic. The contraction relaxation cycle of a muscle sarcomere can be used to represent that of a machine “photographs” of the sarcomere and large biopolymers such as ordered protein and nucleic acid structures illustrate Bragg’s Law about regular submicron distances as well as those from crystals of inorganic salts. Movements of nanostructures of the proton pump subunits and sliding filaments are just as good for calculation of the moment of inertia and mechanical energy involved. Transport of sugars made from photosynthesis in the leaf into the fruit can pose problems about concentration gradient very realistically. Aspect about light such as absorption and fluorescence of biological molecules such as chlorophylls and rhodopsins should make such phenomena more interesting and real. Interference of visible light from feathers and scales should also be used to showchanges of apparent colors and patterns when viewed from different angles. Circular dichroism and streaming birefringence of biological macromolecules should make students appreciate polarization better.