Physics in Biology and Medicine

The fourth edition of Physics for Biology and Medicine, covers topics in physics as they apply to the life sciences, specifically medicine, physiology, nursing and other applied health fields. This concise introductory paperback surveys and relates basic physics to living systems, encompassing solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, sound, electricity, optics, and atomic and nuclear physics. The new edition has been updated with a discussion of atomic force microscopy, use of lasers in medical diagnostics and the applications of nanotechnology in biology and medicine. Applied health workers, even with little formal background in physics, will learn how biological systems can be analyzed quantitatively, how physical and engineering analysis techniques have helped advance the life sciences, and also the limits of quantitative analysis as applied to living systems. End-of-chapter exercises and extensive reference sections add to the book's value in academic and clinical settings. It provides practical techniques for applying knowledge of physics to the study of living systems. It presents material in a straight forward manner requiring very little background in physics or biology. It includes many figures, examples and illustrative problems and appendices which provide convenient access to the most important concepts of mechanics, electricity, and optics.