Undergraduate - UnitBMS1031 - Medical biophysics

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational Unit	School of Biomedical Sciences
Offered	Clayton First semester 2015 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Professor Kristian Helmerson and Professor Helena Parkington

Synopsis

The behaviour of human and biomedical systems are understood in terms of underlying physical principles. Forces involved in human movement and body systems including muscles and joints. Energy and heat flow and metabolism, pressure, osmosis, diffusion and respiration, fluid flow in the cardiovascular system. Electrical charges, current, potential and capacitance in simple circuits, EEG, ECG, cells and nerve conduction. Sound and ultrasound, human hearing, refraction and lenses, the human eye, optical and electron microscopes. X-rays and radiation, biological effects and damage, radiation therapy and medical imaging.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to apply concepts of physics and introductory physiology as they relate to biomedical sciences in the following areas:

The laws of motion and the concepts of work, energy and power as they relate to human movement and biomechanics.
Heat transfer and thermal properties, the behaviour of gases and fluids applied to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Principles of electricity, potential difference, current, resistance and capacitance; the basis of Nerst potential and the biological membrane potential, nerve conduction, ECG.
Wave motion, the physics of sound and the properties of light and their relationship to auditory and visual phenomena, the function of the human eye and ear.
Radiation physics underlying the medical use of x-rays and radiation in medicine and biomedical sciences including the effect of ionising radiation on living matter.

Students will develop basic practical skills in problem solving, experimental methods and uncertainties, analysis of data and written scientific communication.

Assessment

Written examination (3 hours) (50%)
Practical work (25%)
Assignments (3 items consisting of set questions, online quizzes and a fact sheet A4 poster) (25%)

A pass in the final examination must be obtained to pass the unit.

Workload requirements

3 lectures and 3 hours laboratory and problem solving per week.

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Kristian Helmerson

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Biomedical science

Co-requisites

Must be enrolled in one of the following:
+ Bachelor of Biomedical Science (including double degree programs)
+ Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Scholar Program)
+ Bachelor of Biomedical Science Advanced with Honours
+ Bachelor of Emergency Health (Paramedic)

Prohibitions

PHS1031, PHS1080.