Statistical Physics of Biomolecules

It is essential for modern students of molecular behavior to understand the physics at the heart of modern molecular science, but traditional presentations of this material are often difficult to penetrate. This volume brings down to earth some of the most intimidating but important theories of molecular biophysics. Students build understanding by focusing on topics such as probability theory, low-dimensional models, and the simplest molecular systems. The book's accessible development of equilibrium and dynamical statistical physics makes this a valuable text for students with limited physics and chemistry backgrounds.

Informationen zum Autor Daniel M. Zuckerman Klappentext Designed especially for students from non-physics and non-chemistry backgrounds, this book covers elementary statistical mechanics and the thermodynamics necessary to understand fundamental biophysical phenomena. The book maintains a probabilistic view throughout. It presents more than one interpretation of every phenomenon: for example, on- and off-rates are carefully explained in the context of binding affinities and connected back with a microscopic statistical picture, as well as with the standard thermodynamic description. The author explicitly explains the theory behind interpreting the physics and statistics of many experiments. Zusammenfassung Designed especially for students from non-physics and non-chemistry backgrounds, this book covers elementary statistical mechanics and the thermodynamics necessary to understand fundamental biophysical phenomena, maintaining a probabilistic view throughout. It explains the theory behind interpreting the physics and statistics of many experiments. Inhaltsverzeichnis Proteins Don't Know Biology. The Heart of It All: Probability Theory. Big Lessons from Simple Systems: Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics in One Dimension. Nature Doesn't Calculate Partition Functions: Elementary Dynamics and Equilibrium. Molecules Are Correlated! Multidimensional Statistical Mechanics. From Complexity to Simplicity: The Potential of Mean Force. What's Free about "Free" Energy? Essential Thermodynamics. The Most Important Molecule: Electro-Statistics of Water. Basics of Binding and Allostery. Kinetics of Conformational Change and Protein Folding. Ensemble Dynamics: From Trajectories to Diffusion and Kinetics. A Statistical Perspective on Biomolecular Simulation. Index.

Autorentext

Daniel M. Zuckerman

Klappentext

Designed especially for students from non-physics and non-chemistry backgrounds, this book covers elementary statistical mechanics and the thermodynamics necessary to understand fundamental biophysical phenomena. The book maintains a probabilistic view throughout. It presents more than one interpretation of every phenomenon: for example, on- and off-rates are carefully explained in the context of binding affinities and connected back with a microscopic statistical picture, as well as with the standard thermodynamic description. The author explicitly explains the theory behind interpreting the physics and statistics of many experiments.

Inhalt

Proteins Don't Know Biology. The Heart of It All: Probability Theory. Big Lessons from Simple Systems: Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics in One Dimension. Nature Doesn't Calculate Partition Functions: Elementary Dynamics and Equilibrium. Molecules Are Correlated! Multidimensional Statistical Mechanics. From Complexity to Simplicity: The Potential of Mean Force. What's Free about "Free" Energy? Essential Thermodynamics. The Most Important Molecule: Electro-Statistics of Water. Basics of Binding and Allostery. Kinetics of Conformational Change and Protein Folding. Ensemble Dynamics: From Trajectories to Diffusion and Kinetics. A Statistical Perspective on Biomolecular Simulation. Index.