This textbook has its origins in a course that I began developing at Union College in the mid-1980s to teach physics to life science students in a way that would int- est them and show the connections of fundamental physics to modern biology and medicine. From my own research experiences and interests in biophysics, I know that almost all areas of modern life sciences integrally involve physics in both experimental techniques and in basic understanding of process or function. However, I and many colleagues with whom I have spoken have been unhappy over the years with published attempts to direct a textbook to this audience. Most such texts are watered down engineering physics books with occasional added sections on related biology topics that are easy to skip over or assign students to read on their own. As I set out to write this textbook, I had certain definite goals in mind. I wanted to write a book that was truly directed at life science students, one that integrated modern biology, biophysics, and medical techniques into the presentation of the ma- rial. Believing in the less is more credo, I chose to omit certain standard topics that are usually included in texts for this audience, while expanding on topics that have more relevance to the life and biomedical sciences.
Originally developed for the author's course at Union College, this text is designed for life science students who need to understand the connections of fundamental physics to modern biology and medicine. Almost all areas of modern life sciences integrally involve physics in both experimental techniques and in basic understanding of structure and function. Physics of the Life Sciences is not a watered-down, algebra-based engineering physics book with sections on relevant biomedical topics added as an afterthought. This authoritative and engaging text, which is designed to be covered in a two-semester course, was written with a thoroughgoing commitment to the needs and interests of life science students.
Although covering most of the standard topics in introductory physics in a more or less traditional sequence, the author gives added weight and space to concepts and applications of greater relevance to the life sciences. Students benefit from occasional sidebars using calculus to derive fundamental relations, but only algebra and trigonometry are used to explore the basic physical concepts in the main body of the text and to solve end-of-chapter problems.
