DAMP Physics, IITB

Instructor Name: Mithun Mitra Course Name:  Physics of Biological Systems (PH 549) Course Type:  Theory (Honors/Electives) Credits:  6 Pre-requisites:  No formal prerequisites but knowledge of basic statistical physics helps Course Content:  1. Diffusion and drift 2. Fluid flow, Navier Stokes Equation 3. Equilibrium Stat Mech and applications, Chemical potential, MWC model of Haemoglobin 4. Polymer models, FJC and FRC, Force-extension curves, Protein folding, Chromatin packing 5. Crowding in biological systems 6. Non-equilibrium systems, Rate equations and reaction kinetics, Cytoskeletal polymerization 7. Molecular motors 8. Pattern formation in biology, Schnakenberg kinetics Books: Physical biology of the cell - Rob Phillips Biological physics: Energy, Information and life - Phil Nelson Lectures: There was no attendance policy. The professor used both slides and blackboard. Since all the exams were open book, it really helps to attend all the lectures. Assignments: There were 5

Instructor Name:  Vikram Singh Sirola Course Name:  History and Philosophy of Science (HS 433) Course Type: Theory  Credits: 6 Pre-requisites: None Course Content:  I. Nature of Science a) Distinction between science, non-science, and pseudoscience b) epistemological and metaphysical basis II. Scientific Progress a) Relationship between the natural and social sciences b) Karl Popper (critical rationalism) c) Thomas Kuhn (alternative notion of normal science) d) Imre Lakatos (methodology of research programmes) e) Paul Feyerabend (methodological libertarianism) III. Scientific Realism a) Truth Realism b) Entity Realism c) Non-Realism and Anti-realism debate d) Instrumentalism e) Structure Realism IV. Evolutionary Epistemology a) Karl Popper’s evolutionary epistemology V. Law of Nature and Scientific explanation a) Causality and indeterminism in physical theory b) Laws and universal truths c) Kind of facts Books: 1: John Losee, A historical Introduction to the Philosoph