The role of Calculus in Biology?

[KingNothing]

Hello to all. I work with someone who is majoring in Biology who hopes to become a medical doctor in time. I believe that at least at my school, calculus is not a part of the biology curriculum.

I would like to know from those of you who know biology and calculus:

1) How much of a role does calculus play in biology? Are there some biological systems which are most properly modeled by calc or differential equations?

2) What about chains of biological interactions, especially those of medicines or different chemicals of the body? My intuition tells me that absorption rates and various chemical reaction rates are probably governed by differential equations.

3) Is calc eventually required to study how medicines interact with the body?

I'm just a curious engineer.

 

[mishrashubham]

Hello to all. I work with someone who is majoring in Biology who hopes to become a medical doctor in time. I believe that at least at my school, calculus is not a part of the biology curriculum.

I would like to know from those of you who know biology and calculus:

1) How much of a role does calculus play in biology? Are there some biological systems which are most properly modeled by calc or differential equations?

2) What about chains of biological interactions, especially those of medicines or different chemicals of the body? My intuition tells me that absorption rates and various chemical reaction rates are probably governed by differential equations.

3) Is calc eventually required to study how medicines interact with the body?

I'm just a curious engineer.

Plenty of examples there.

A notable use is in population genetics. For example making a mathematical model for analyzing allele frequency changing over time in a given population, or analyzing the spread of a disease in a population etc.

In addition, genetic fitness always tends towards the local maxima. In fact a measure of genetic fitness uses calculus in its equation.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitness_(biology)#Hartl.27s_Definition

Also check this.


As you rightly said, it also has important uses in medicine. For example, you could have brain activity or heart rate as a function of drug concentration.


There are many other examples as well. Other more qualified people here will definitely help, as I am currently studying both biology and calculus.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Doctors have little use for calculus. Biomedical researchers, OTOH, should be reasonably fluent in calculus- it's required for any physio-chemical model of a biological process (reaction rates, energetics, imaging techniques, dosimetry, physiology, etc).

 

[Proton Soup]

if you went into pharmacy, you would have to study pharmacokinetics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacokinetics

years ago, i did computer sims of some control laws for drug kinetics using state space variables and kalman filters. that's more the engineering side, but the pharmacists still need to know the underlying math even if they are using computer programs to do all the work.

 

[LudusRex]

Hello! As a scientist who has worked in both biology and calculus, I can tell you that calculus plays a crucial role in understanding many biological systems and processes.

1) Calculus is used extensively in biology to model and analyze complex biological systems. Many biological processes, such as enzyme kinetics, cellular signaling, and population growth, can be described using differential equations. These equations help us understand how different factors, such as concentration, temperature, and time, affect the behavior of biological systems.

2) You are absolutely correct in thinking that chains of biological interactions, including those involving medicines and chemicals in the body, can be modeled using calculus. These interactions often involve multiple variables and can be very complex, making calculus an essential tool for studying them.

3) In order to fully understand how medicines interact with the body, a background in calculus is necessary. Calculus allows us to model and predict how different drugs will be absorbed, metabolized, and eliminated from the body. It also helps us understand how different factors, such as dosage and timing, can affect the effectiveness of a medication.

In conclusion, calculus is a crucial tool in the study of biology and is essential for understanding many biological systems and processes. I hope this helps answer your questions and highlights the importance of calculus in the field of biology.