Biological Physics: Energy, Information, Life [Hardcover]

Philip Nelson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0716743728 | ISBN-13: 978-0716743729 | Publication Date: July 18, 2003 | Edition: 1st

Physics and engineering departments are building research programs in biological physics, but until now there has not been a synthesis of this dynamic field at the undergraduate level. Biological Physics focuses on new results in molecular motors, self-assembly, and single-molecule manipulation that have revolutionized the field in recent years, and integrates these topics with classical results. The text also provides foundational material for the emerging field of nanotechnology. The text is built around a self-contained core geared toward undergraduate students who have had one year of calculus-based physics. Additional "Track-2" sections contain more advanced material for senior physics majors and graduate students.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Dr. Nelson has done a splendid job conveying how principles of physics apply to biological systems. -- Donald Jacobs, California State University-Northridge

Dr. Nelson succeeds in explaining difficult concepts in words and then presents the mathematics in a clear way. -- Daniel Kim-Shapiro, Physics Department, Wake Forest University

He is an excellent writer, being both entertaining and clear. -- Fred MacKintosh, Department of Physics, Princeton University

Overall I found the choise of topics to be quite interesting and appropriate, and the presentation of the material attractive. -- Steve Hagen, University of Florida

The proposed book by Nelson will fill a clear need. Discussion revolves around central ideas, which are developed clearly. -- William Parke, Physics Department, George Washington University

About the Author

PHILIP NELSON is Professor of Physics at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his A.B. from Princeton University (1980) and Ph.D. from Harvard University (1984). Professor Nelson serves on the Biophysical Society's Education Committee; he received Penn's highest teaching award in 2001, in part for creating the course that formed the basis for this book. -

Product Details

• Hardcover: 600 pages
• Publisher: W. H. Freeman; 1st edition (July 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716743728
• ISBN-13: 978-0716743729
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #576,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, ideal for students., July 4, 2005

By 

Lynn MacIsaac - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biological Physics: Energy, Information, Life (Hardcover)

I used Nelson's Biological Physics textbook for a graduate level reading course in physics, and found it excellent for my needs. I haven't taken a biology course since high school, and although I have researched biological systems for some time, I have had a very fuzzy view of biological physics until recently. I was skeptical of a book that claims it is appropriate for students from second year undergraduate through graduate studies, but by using the Track 2 option, and following up some of the cited papers and suggested readings I found it to be quite suitable. Also, the text was well written, and easy to follow - which is ideal for independent study.

Nelson's Biological Physics starts humbly, with a brief introduction of energy, and the size range inherent to biological systems. Using statistical and thermal physics principles, Nelson builds upon simple ideas to end the text with elegant descriptions of complex biological entities like molecular motors and ion channels. Under other circumstances such topics would frighten even the bravest physics student who has had no initiation to the biological realm of study! With little to no biology background myself, I was apprehensive about a course on biological physics, but found that Nelson usually described relevant systems and experimental methods in sufficient detail and from a perspective that appealed to me. If a topic were not described in great detail, the text generally cited additional resources - especially for more challenging topics.

The "Your turn" exercises scattered throughout the text alternated between being helpful and annoying. While useful for engaging the reader, they sometimes provide roadblocks to chapter sections and homework problems when particularly tricky. Also, I found the brief section on matrix mathematics and eigenvalues in chapter 9 inadequate. If the author assumes that readers will have a deficiency in this area, then it may prove more useful to either expand more generally on the mathematical tools described, or to develop an alternative approach to the material in this chapter. Perhaps in later editions an appendix on necessary mathematical material will be added to this text. In contrast, I appreciated the use of real experimental data in the figures throughout the text, and in many of the homework exercises as well. It provided an undeniable credibility to the work, and made the exercises seem more worthwhile, as they obviously related to actual experiments and models.

The book covers a lot of statistical and thermal physics, as necessary for a course intended for second year undergraduate and onwards. Although there was a lot of review for an upper level physics student, the examples were still interesting, and the Track 2 option provided a more in depth look at many topics, with both more challenging text sections and homework problems. The flexibility that this option (in combination with aggressive use of the suggested follow-up readings and independent use of related materials) introduces keeps the book accessible for second and third year undergraduates, while maintaining the necessary academic level for a senior undergraduate or graduate course. I would recommend this book to any student or professor, with either a biology or physics background that is interested in knowing more about biological physics.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best General Introduction to Biophysics, July 27, 2007

By 

Jeffrey Gore (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Biological Physics (Updated Edition) (Paperback)

The field of biophysics has experienced a flowering over the last several decades, with new experimental techniques (such as single molecule manipulation) providing quantitative data that allow for true tests of theoretical models. This book provides a wonderful introduction to the ideas and techniques that are now at the forefront of much of biological physics research. The previously available books are either out-of-date (Cantor & Schimmel's classic series on "Biophysical Chemistry") or are better as a reference for researchers (John Howard's useful book "Mechanics of Motor Proteins and the Cytoskeleton"). Other options for an upper level introductory class (such as Duane's book "Molecular Biophysics") are, in my opinion, not as clear or as well-organized as Nelson's book.

This is the textbook that I would use in teaching an introductory biophysics class.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Updated and comprehensive introduction, December 11, 2007

By 

Vivek Sharma "Kavi" (Cambridge / Boston, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Biological Physics (Updated Edition) (Paperback)

Biological Physics by Philip Nelson manages to connect a physicist to relevant names and problems in biology, and a biologist to the methods and tools of physics. Either task is formidable. Philip Nelson manages it by articulating the contexts nicely, and by employing friendly language and plethora of well-thought examples. Nelson has compiled a textbook that provides both the basic concepts and the latest results from biophysics world. I would personally prefer a revision or rewrite in the way thermodynamics and statistical mechanics is introduced and conceptualized here. (For example, the concepts of high vs low quality energy, or limited space awarded to partition functions may be addressed in next revision). Physical Biochemistry by van Holde is a classic text that can be used in conjunction with this text. The book has lots of good problems that help one to become comfortable with the kind of questions that a biophysicist encounters and/or seeks to answer. All the papers cited in the examples or problems included herein have become necessary reads in their respective fields. The power of this text is fully revealed when you follow up and read those theoretical or experimental articles. As such, the book is more suitable for beginners, and the discussions seem too verbose for a physicist or engineer in me. Yet knowing how disparate the audience of this book is bound to be, I consider it to be an immensely valuable treatise.
(11 December 2007)