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Nov 07, 2024
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2024-2025 Pitzer Catalog
Biophysics Major
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Return to: Areas of Study
1. Foundation Courses:
2. Five Additional Advanced Courses:
3. Senior thesis (one- or two-semester).
- A study-abroad experience is strongly recommended but not required.
NOTE: For Biophysics majors, PHYS 030L KS -PHYS 031L KS may substitute as a prerequisite for PHYS 033L KS -PHYS 034L KS .
Biophysics Courses
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Learning Outcomes
Students who have completed a major in Biophysics, when confronted with a natural phenomenon, should be able to examine, model and analyze the system and effectively communicate the findings.
Specifically, students should be able to:
- Develop a conceptual framework for understanding the system by identifying the key physical principles, relationships, and constraints underlying the system.
- If required, develop a physical experiment to analyze the system within the framework. This includes:
- Designing the experiment;
- Making basic order-of-magnitude estimates;
- Working with standard data-measuring devices such as oscilloscopes, digital multi-meters, signal generators, etc.;
- Identifying and appropriately addressing the sources of systematic error and statistical error in their experiment.
- Translate that conceptual framework into an appropriate mathematical format/model.
- If the mathematical model/equations are analytically tractable, carry out the analysis of the problem to completion (by demonstrating knowledge of and proficiency with the standard mathematical tools of physics and engineering).
- If the model/equations are not tractable, develop a computer code and/or use software/programming languages (e.g., MATLAB, Maple, Python) to numerically simulate the model system.
- Use with proficiency standard methods of data analysis (e.g., graphing, curve-fitting, statistical analysis, Fourier analysis, etc.).
- Intelligently analyze, interpret, and assess the reasonableness of the answers obtained and/or the model’s predictions.
- Effectively communicate their findings (either verbally and/or via written expression) to diverse audiences.
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Return to: Areas of Study
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