Description: This book is a lucid, straightforward introduction to the concepts and techniques of statistical physics that students of biology, biochemistry, and biophysics must know. It provides a sound basis for understanding random motions of molecules, subcellular particles, or cells, or of processes that depend on such motion or are markedly affected by it. Readers do not need to understand thermodynamics in order to acquire a knowledge of the physics involved in diffusion, sedimentation, electrophoresis, chromatography, and cell motility--subjects that become lively and immediate when the author discusses them in terms of random walks of individual particles.
Customer Reviews
Review Summary: Awesome.
Date: 2007-06-15
Details: Awesome. You will learn a lot about diffusion, stat mech, and even transport phenomena a tthe cellular level. Not worth 27 bucks tho.
Review Summary: An easy, enjoyable read!
Date: 2005-10-02
Details: Random walks in Biology explains concepts of diffusion driven processes in a lucid, intuitive and didactic fashion. The approach lacks mathematical rigor, but abounds in examples to incite interest in one and all. For physicists, this book offers a delightful peek into biophysical processes where their mathematical skills and knowledge of random processes can be utilized and tested. For biologists and chemists, the book presents an erudite route to understanding how these random processes, diffusion and fluctuations influence function and design of biological contrusts.
Review Summary: Good Source Book on Random Walk Maths - Easy Read
Date: 2005-05-29
Details: I bought this book in 1995 to get an understanding of random walk phenomena.
The random walk equations are mostly biologically based.
That is equations that describe the motion of biological things.
Type of things covered ( including but not limited to)
Ficks equations
Diffusion
Drift
drag
Diffusion at Equilibrium
Derivation of Boltzman equation
Importance of KT
Mean Square Velocity
Einstien-Scmoluchowski relation
Flagellar propulsion
Motility of Escherichia Coli
Probability Distributions (Gaussian , Binomial , Poisson)
etc
The book is a fairly easy read.
You'll need at least high school to uni maths background.
The maths is fairly practical stuff ( translatable to s/w code )
There are plenty of graphs and diagrams.
Review Summary: This book rocks.
Date: 1999-07-02
Details: If you're interested in learning the physics underlying cellular biology, then you should read this book.
out of 4 Reviews
