How Can Medical Students Enhance Their Understanding of Physics and Math?

[Bayoudh101]

I am a medical student , but i am highly interested in physics and math and in medical school we are studying many interesting phenomenons , now we are not supposed to know more than the superficial bit of information they present us with , but i got really stuck with some matters and i really wanted to understand in order to establish a better understanding of the whole thing . so i would like to respectfully ask you to recommend some books or articles that might explain these matters :

- how do you go from a "solution" liquid to a tissue : now this might seem obvious , but i have a hard time understanding it . proteins like collagen or proteoglycans that have physical properties that allow the edification of tissue . i just don't understand the transition from a solution where proteins or any other osmotic particles are dissolved into a liquid , and a human tissue . (i know it also contains cells but i am talking about the extra-cellular matrix) essentially is how the extra-cellular matrix establishes a ferme tissue . i want a full answer explained by the laws of physics and what i get from biology is not enough to explain this .

- all the of the basic atomic interactions , oxydation , the exchange of electrons , energy , photons ... etc , now i know this is too general , but i want to understand this at a fundamental level , it essentially revolves around understanding a bit of "quantum mechanics" and that's the problem , what i read on the internet is either too complex or too simple , so i am just looking for a number of books that would help me understand the whole phenomenon for me not be lost around those reactions . all i am looking for is a number of books to read for me to establish a better understanding . thank you very much for your attention .

 

[jtbell]

- all the of the basic atomic interactions , oxydation , the exchange of electrons , energy , photons ... etc

You've probably already had a course in basic chemistry. What you probably need for this is a textbook in physical chemistry, which goes beyond the basic level and includes the quantum physics of atoms and molecules. My degree was in physics, not chemistry, so I never took such a course myself, but perhaps someone else can recommend a book for it. Or you might be able to find out what your university uses for this course.

 

[fresh_42]

what i read on the internet is either too complex or too simple

Oh how I share this problem with you: scientific explanations are either for school kids of for master degrees. A good indicator are the formulas: either none, or so complicated that you need to learn their language first. However, your question is rather special and settled somewhere between Physics and Chemistry. Maybe @DrClaude knows some good books for in between.

Another good place to look up information are our Insight articles. They usually try to explain complex subjects on the level of undergraduates which makes them understandable without going into technical details. I just searched there - the Insights part of PF has its own search function - and looked up "molecules" which gave me some articles which might be interesting for you. You may also try other keywords like "van der Waals force", "organic chemistry" or others. Normally also articles come up outside these fields but some useful as well.

 

[DrClaude]

I don't have any specific suggestions, but I think that introductory textbooks in chemistry and biochemistry should cover most of these topics.

Have also a look at https://chem.libretexts.org/Textboo...mistry_with_a_Biological_Emphasis_(Soderberg)

 

[Bayoudh101]

Thank you very much , I highly highly highly appreciate your remarks .

 

[Bayoudh101]

now that solves the first problem , i will make sure to fully read that textbook . what can i do about quantum mechanics though ? i just have a deep desire to read about that and establish a small understanding .
i can't find a path though . all i want is for someone to give me a path , a sequence of books and articles to read .
when i try to look on my own on the internet i just keep getting lost over and over .
when it comes to math i think i have all i need , my knowledge about physics is very narrow though (sadly) .