Biophysics - Lecture Notes Review

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts based on the lecture notes about biophysics, medical applications of physics, and essential biological principles.

Geometric Optics

The study of reflection and refraction of light, including applications in medicine.

Wave Optics

Focused on light phenomena like interference, dispersion, and polarization, with medical applications.

Lasers

Devices that emit light through stimulated emission, utilized in various medical applications.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

An imaging technique based on the principles of nuclear magnetic resonance, applied in medicine.

Ultrasound

A technique utilizing high-frequency sound waves for imaging and therapeutic purposes in medicine.

Ionizing Radiation

Radiation that carries enough energy to liberate electrons from atoms, used in medical diagnostics and treatment.

Chemical Bonds

Forces holding atoms together in molecules, crucial for understanding biological molecules.

Covalent Bond

A type of chemical bond where pairs of electrons are shared between atoms.

Ionic Bond

A type of chemical bond formed through the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak bond between a hydrogen atom and a strongly electronegative atom, significant in biological systems.

Van der Waals Forces

Weak intermolecular forces that play a major role in the physical properties of substances.

Protein Structure

Refers to the three-dimensional arrangement of a protein, essential for its function.

Biomolecules

Molecules that are essential to life, including proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids.

Osmosis

The movement of water through a semipermeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to higher concentration.

Dialysis

A medical process to remove waste products from the blood when the kidneys are not functioning properly.

Filtration

A process used to separate solids from liquids or gases using a filter medium.

Cell Membrane

A biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of all cells from the external environment.

Endocytosis

The process by which cells internalize substances from their external environment.

Exocytosis

The process where cells expel materials in vesicles, essential for neurotransmitter release.

Homeostasis

The tendency of organisms to maintain a stable internal environment.

Sodium-Potassium Pump

A membrane protein that uses ATP to transport sodium out of cells and potassium into cells.

Microtransport

The movement of substances on a microscale, crucial for cellular functions.

Colloidal Systems

Mixtures where one substance is dispersed evenly throughout another substance.

Chemical Potential

The potential energy per particle in a system, fundamental in thermodynamics.

Liquid Crystalline States

States of matter that have properties of both liquids and solid crystals.

Tension Surface

The cohesive force at the surface of a liquid that causes it to behave as a stretched elastic membrane.