Biophysics Flashcards

Flashcards covering key concepts and historical figures in biophysics.

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

Post-medical mathematics professorship; Found that the period of an oscillating lamp was independent of its amplitude, using his pulse as a clock.

Santorio Sanctorius (1561-1636)

Italian physician who pioneered quantitative empirical research, using precision measuring instruments in medicine. Developed a pulse measuring device (1602) and thermometer (1612).

Santorio Sanctorius' Experiment

Experimented for thirty years to reveal the relationship between body weight changes and solid/liquid wastes, finding that visible waste was less than the food consumed.

William Harvey (1578-1657)

British medical doctor who discovered the circulation and function of the heart; pioneer of modern physiology; first to use mathematical techniques in biological research and accurately describe blood circulation.

William Harvey's Blood Cycle Description

Described blood cycle from capillaries to veins, right side of the heart, lungs, and left side of the heart; understood blood circulation but could not fully elucidate passage from capillaries to veins without a microscope.

William Harvey's Explanation of Blood Circulation

Explained that blood is not made continuously but circulates throughout the body, with the heartbeat and pulse occurring simultaneously.

Luigi Galvani (1737-1798)

Concluded that rapid reflex action of frog's legs upon contact with certain metals was due to internal electricity in the animal.

Galvanized

A term used in daily life to activate or shock someone, derived from Galvani’s work. The galvanometer, used to measure electric current, was named after him.

Thomas Young (1773-1829)

Used the wave theory of light to measure cell diameters in blood, studying diffraction and interference.

Jean Leonard Poiseuille (1799-1869)

French doctor who formulated Poiseuille's law, describing the flow of a laminar, uniform, and viscous fluid in a cylindrical tube of constant cross-sectional area.

Applications of Poiseuille's Law

Used to describe the flow of blood in capillaries or veins and the flow of air in alveoli; discovered the law of viscous flow in veins.

Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894)

Studied muscle contraction, nerve conduction velocity, and color vision/hearing theories; developed the ophthalmoscope to examine the retina.

Molecular Biophysics

Deals with the physicochemical structures of biomolecules, especially biopolymers, which have important functions.

Cell Biophysics

Deals with the structures and functions of cells and tissues; studies bioenergetic processes, biological membranes, nerve conduction, etc.

Systems Biophysics

Explains the functioning of physiological systems with physical and mathematical methods and models.

Radiation Biophysics

The branch of science dealing with the effects of ionizing radiation on biological systems.

Bioelectricity

Electrical voltages and currents that occur in or are produced by living things; electrical behavior of cells and related structures modeled as an electrical circuit.

Bioenergetics

Investigating how living systems obtain and use energy; applying thermodynamics and biochemistry/biophysics to the laws of energy behavior in living systems.

Thermodynamics

The branch of physics that studies the behavior of energy, such as displacement and deformation. Deals with heat movements and internal energies of systems.

Entropy

A measure of the disorder of a system; determines the direction of operation in thermal functions.

System

Any physical or mental entity that consists of a number of interacting parts.

Steady State

A state in open systems where the composition remains time-independent, especially when entry and exit of the substance continue.

Flux Density

The amount of matter/energy that passes through a unit surface per unit time, specifying the magnitude of convection at a particular point.

Gradient

Used to describe the speed and direction of change of quantities such as electrical potential, temperature, and pressure in space.

Ohm's Law

Relates to electrical charge transport and electrical current.

Fick's Law

Relates to molecular mass transport and diffusion.

Fourier's Law

Deals with energy transport by transmission.

Poiseuille’s Law

Describes fluid flow; a pressure differential across a horizontal pipe is required to overcome internal friction for fluids to flow.