MAK 4079 - Thermodynamics of Biomolecular Systems

Course Objectives

1. To provide a foundation in the thermodynamic principles used to describe biomolecular behavior and interactions.
2. To teach the connection of macroscopic thermodynamic properties to microscopic molecular properties using statistical mechanics/thermodynamics.
3. To develop a molecular understanding for mechanical engineers and demonstrate how to use it to perform molecular dynamics simulations.

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to the classical thermodynamics and statistical thermodynamics/mechanics of biomolecular systems, and its topics include enthalpy, entropy and disorder, free energies, equilibria, the Legendre transform, stability of thermodynamic systems, microcanonical canonical and grand canonical formalisms, fluctuations, and an introduction to molecular dynamics simulations of biomolecules.