Lecture

Polymer Models: Basic Observables

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PHYS-441: Statistical physics of biomacromolecules

Biological macromolecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins and cytoskeletal filaments are polymers. As such, they share a set of properties that are common to any polymer, which are the focus of this course. Details about the protein folding problem will be cove ...

Description

This lecture introduces basic observables and simple models in polymer science. At the microscopic scale, polymers are unique, requiring a coarse-grained approach. Properties of polymers are discussed, emphasizing the need for reproducible measurements. The lecture delves into the concept of one-dimensional polymers, explaining the importance of measuring observable quantities like end-to-end distance. The instructor illustrates the concept of reproducibility using a flexible cable analogy. The lecture progresses to discuss the simplest polymer model, representing polymers as chains of segments. The presentation explores the mathematical representation of polymer chains and the calculation of average end-to-end distances. The Fourier transform is introduced to compute the probability distribution of end-to-end distances in polymer chains.

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Related concepts (32)

Fourier transform

In physics and mathematics, the Fourier transform (FT) is a transform that converts a function into a form that describes the frequencies present in the original function. The output of the transform is a complex-valued function of frequency. The term Fourier transform refers to both this complex-valued function and the mathematical operation. When a distinction needs to be made the Fourier transform is sometimes called the frequency domain representation of the original function.

Polymer science

Polymer science or macromolecular science is a subfield of materials science concerned with polymers, primarily synthetic polymers such as plastics and elastomers. The field of polymer science includes researchers in multiple disciplines including chemistry, physics, and engineering. This science comprises three main sub-disciplines: Polymer chemistry or macromolecular chemistry is concerned with the chemical synthesis and chemical properties of polymers.

Probability density function

In probability theory, a probability density function (PDF), density function, or density of an absolutely continuous random variable, is a function whose value at any given sample (or point) in the sample space (the set of possible values taken by the random variable) can be interpreted as providing a relative likelihood that the value of the random variable would be equal to that sample.

Binomial distribution

In probability theory and statistics, the binomial distribution with parameters n and p is the discrete probability distribution of the number of successes in a sequence of n independent experiments, each asking a yes–no question, and each with its own Boolean-valued outcome: success (with probability p) or failure (with probability ). A single success/failure experiment is also called a Bernoulli trial or Bernoulli experiment, and a sequence of outcomes is called a Bernoulli process; for a single trial, i.

Polymer chemistry

Polymer chemistry is a sub-discipline of chemistry that focuses on the structures of chemicals, chemical synthesis, and chemical and physical properties of polymers and macromolecules. The principles and methods used within polymer chemistry are also applicable through a wide range of other chemistry sub-disciplines like organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and physical chemistry. Many materials have polymeric structures, from fully inorganic metals and ceramics to DNA and other biological molecules.

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