Course Number:

Credit Hours:

4

Course Title:

Calculus and Differential Equations for Biology 1

Course Description:

Begins with the fundamentals of differential calculus and proceeds to the specific type of differential equation problems encountered in biological research. Presents methods for the solutions of these equations and how the exact solutions are obtained from actual laboratory data. Topics include differential calculus: basics, the derivative, the rules of differentiation, curve plotting, exponentials and logarithms, and trigonometric functions; using technology to understand derivatives; biological kinetics: zero- and first-order processes, processes tending toward equilibrium, bi- and tri-exponential processes, and biological half-life; differential equations: particular and general solutions to homogeneous and nonhomogeneous linear equations with constant coefficients, systems of two linear differential equations; compartmental problems: nonzero initial concentration, two-compartment series dilution, diffusion between compartments, population dynamics; and introduction to integration.