Degree | Type | Year |
---|---|---|
Biochemistry | FB | 1 |
You can view this information at the end of this document.
For the proper understanding and successful completion of the Physics course in the Biochemistry Degree, it is a desirable requirement that students have achieved the competencies typical of High School Physics.
The course is designed assuming that these prior knowledge are possessed, as they are fundamental for understanding the concepts and solving problems that will be addressed throughout the course.
In case you have not taken Physics in High School or if you believe your knowledge is not sufficiently solid, we strongly urge you to update your Physics foundation before the start of classes. This can be achieved through self-study of High School syllabi, consulting textbooks, or by taking a preparatory (leveling) course in Physics.
Ensuring you master these fundamentals will allow you to keep up with the pace of the course successfully and avoid unnecessary difficulties during the semester.
Because of its fundamental nature, knowledge in physics is very often a necessary tool for the correct understanding of the phenomena described in other sciences. In the specific case of Biotechemistry, for example, to correctly understand the dynamics of chemical reactions within cells, it is completely indispensable to know the physics of diffusion, the field and electrical current or thermodynamics. Without this knowledge a misunderstanding of the biochemistry of the cell is possible.
On the other hand, Physics is required to understand some of the experimental methods that biochemists use daily. In our case, for example, radioactive or fluoescent marking of molecules, centrifugation or magnetic resonance are examples of methods that are clearly based on fundamental physical principles.
The objective of this subject will be the introductory study of all the necessary physical concepts for both, modeling and experimental design in Biochemistry.
Some of the topics will be the starting point of other courses such as Thermodynamics, Bioenergetics and other topics will be fundamental for the practices included in Integrated Laboratories.
1 Basic ideas of kinematics and dynamics.
Position, speed and acceleration.
Intrinsic components of acceleration: types of movements.
Newton's laws: relationship between force and acceleration.
2 Transport of molecules in fluids.
Hydrostatics.
Hydrodynamics.
Viscosity: sedimentation.
Centrifugation; separation of macromolecules.
Diffusion, Fick's law and Brownian motion.
3 Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics.
Kinetic theory.
Calorimetry.
Entropy and Free Energy in Chemical Reactions.
4 Electricity.
Coulomb's law: force between charges, atoms and molecules. Electrostatic contribution to ATP energy.
Dipoles: polar molecules and hydrogen bonds.
Electrophoresis.
Membrane potential.
Ionic pumps: ATP-ase and oxidative phosphorylation.
5 Magnetism.
Magnetic forces: charge in a magnetic field and mass spectrometry.
Magnetic dipole.
Nuclear magnetic resonance: applications to chemistry, molecular structure and medical imaging.
6 Elasticity and Oscillations.
Elasticity. Experiments with macromolecules: DNA and protein stretching.
Harmonic, damped and forced oscillations: optical spectroscopy, energy absorption and resonance.
H2O oscillations and microwave heating. CO2 oscillations and greenhouse effect.
7 Physical optics
Wave nature of light: electromagnetic waves.
Interference and diffraction.
Light diffraction in crystals and molecules: molecular structure.
Synchrotron radiation.
8 Some ideas of quantum physics
Einstein-Planck and de Broglie equations.
Quantification of energy levels: particle in a box.
Bohr atom: absorption and emission spectra. Fluorescence.
Some ideas of nuclear physics: Radioactivity.
Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|
Type: Directed | |||
Problem solving classes | 12 | 0.48 | CM02, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04, CM02 |
Theory classes | 29 | 1.16 | CM02, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04, CM02 |
Type: Supervised | |||
Practices | 5 | 0.2 | CM02, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04, CM02 |
Type: Autonomous | |||
Homework | 35 | 1.4 | CM02, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04, CM02 |
Reading of educational material | 10 | 0.4 | CM02, CM02 |
Resolution of computer assisted questionaries | 20 | 0.8 | KM05, KM06, KM05 |
Watching educational videos | 5 | 0.2 | CM02, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04, CM02 |
The subject will be given alternating different types of methodologies:
- Master classes where the general concepts of the different topics will be introduced
- Solving problems where the teachers will solve the exercises previously selected in previous days
- Resolution of autocorrection questionnaires through a computer using the Moodle platform
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Computer assisted practices | 20% | 30 | 1.2 | CM02, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04 |
Exams | 80% | 4 | 0.16 | CM02, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04 |
The ordinary assessment of the course will be based on the following components:
The resit assessment is designed to give you an opportunity to make up for the results of partial exams you didn't pass in the ordinary assessment.
If you wish to try to improve your grade, you must take the resit assessment under the following conditions:
Students will receive a "Not Evaluated" grade when the assessment activities performed have a weighting of less than 67% in the final grade.
The single assessment consists of a unique synthesis test that includes the contents of the entire theory and problem program. The grade obtained in this synthesis test is 100% of the final course grade.
The single assessment test will take place on the same date set in the calendar for the last continuous assessment test (second partial) and the same ordinary assessment resit system will apply.
Basic bibliography
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
---|---|---|---|---|
(PAUL) Classroom practices | 311 | Catalan | second semester | afternoon |
(PAUL) Classroom practices | 312 | Catalan | second semester | afternoon |
(TE) Theory | 31 | Catalan | second semester | afternoon |