Physical Basis of Biological Systems (PHYS1171)

Course overview

An algebra-based introduction to Physics in a biological context. Topics include forces, motion, thermodynamics, waves, fluids, electricity and biomedical sensing.

This is a non-calculus introduction to physics in a biological context, introducing the physical principles that underlie the biological world. It covers the major topic areas of forces and motion, bulk materials (elasticity and fluids), thermodynamics, electricity and biomedical imaging.

The course is designed for a range of students, including those wishing to major in biology/biomedical or chemistry fields, and as an alternative to senior physics. It may also be used as preparation for GAMSAT for entry to the Graduate Medical Program.

Students are expected to attend and participate in all learning activities.ﾠ

In the School of Mathematics and Physics we are committed to creating an inclusive and empowering learning environment for all students. We value and respect the diverse range of experiences our students bring to their education, and we believe that this diversity is crucial for fostering a rich culture of knowledge sharing and meaningful exploration. We hold both students and staff accountable for actively contributing to the establishment of a respectful and supportive learning environment.

Bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form are strictly against our principles and against ﾠUQ Policy,ﾠ and will not be tolerated. We have developed a ﾠsuite of resources ﾠto assist you in recognising, reporting, and addressing such behaviour. If you have any concerns about your experience in this course, we encourage you to tell a member of the course teaching team, or alternatively contact an SMP Classroom Inclusivity Champion (see Blackboard for contact details). Our Inclusivity Champions are here to listen, to understand your concerns, and to explore potential actions that can be taken to resolve them. Your well-being and a positive learning atmosphere are of utmost importance to us.

This course has a course email PHYS1171@uq.edu.au which is monitored by Student Administration.

Course requirements

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

PHYS1170 or (a pass in PHYS1001 or PHYS1002)

Restrictions

BE(Hons) (including BE and duals) students who have successfully completed QLD Year 12 Physics (or equivalent) with a grade of B or higher, are not permitted to enrol unless permitted by EAIT Faculty.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

The schedule of lecture topics, classroom and laboratory practical activities, and assessments over the semester will be posted on the Blackboard course website.

The general pattern of classes is 3 lectures each week, 1 classroom practical each week and 1 laboratory practical class each fortnight.

Classes will be conducted on campus. Students are expected to attend classes in person unless they have a valid reason for being unable to attend (such as illness).

Consult your personal timetable for times and locations of classes. Attend practicals according to the timetabling for your particular classroom and laboratory practical groups. The course schedule takes into account public holidays for this semester, so no PHYS1171 lectures or laboratory practicals are scheduled on public holidays. If your weekly classroom practical session would take place on a day scheduled as a public holiday, you are welcome to attend another session that week, subject to availability of space in the session.

Important: if you are ill, then do not attend any classes in person.ﾠ Alternative arrangements can be organised – consult Blackboard for details (Course Help section).ﾠ

Aims and outcomes

On completing this course, the student should

• understand and be able to explain central concepts in Physics, of relevance to biological systems,
• be able to solve numerical problems involving these concepts, and
• be able to apply theoretical concepts and use basic lab skills in practical laboratory situations.

The concepts include the description and explanation of motion, properties of matter, heat, fluids, radiation, and electricity.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Assignments

Mode

Written

Category

Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

28%

Due date

See schedule of dates posted on Blackboard for deadlines for each assignment.

Assignments are due at 5 pm on the published date.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submit online via Blackboard.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Solutions for these assessment items will be released 7 days after each assessment is due and as such, an extension after 7 days will not be possible.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for extension/deferral information relating to this assessment item.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item then the listed penalty will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.

Laboratory reports

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

22%

Due date

Due dates are determined by the dates of your laboratory practical classes.

For the two short assessed experiments that are each completed within a single practical session, reports are to be submitted by the end of the session.

For the extended experiment, an Interim Report is to be submitted by the deadline of 1 week after the end-time of your first session on this experiment, and a Final Report by the deadline of 1 week after the end-time of your second session on this experiment.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

For each assessed experiment, submit your report online via Blackboard.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

For the two short assessed experiments, reports are to be submitted by the end of the class session; as such, extensions for report submission should not occur.

For the extended experiment, extension of the deadline for submission of an Interim Report or Final Report is possible.

For any experiment, if you are unable to attend your scheduled session, rescheduling may be possible. Note that rescheduling of attendance at experiments is only feasible while the relevant equipment is available. (See scheduled posted on Blackboard).

If it is not possible for you to attend an alternative practical class for a particular experiment, alternative assessment may be organised with the Course Co-ordinator.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for extension/deferral information relating to this assessment item.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

For the two short assessed experiments, late submissions should not occur because reports are to be submitted by the end of the class session.

For the extended experiment, late submission of an Interim Report or Final Report will be penalised.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item then the listed penalty will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.

Final exam

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L05

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for extension/deferral information relating to this assessment item.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

To pass the course, students must meet the following requirements:

• an achievement of at least 40% of the available marks on the final exam, and
• an achievement of at least 40% of the available marks for the laboratory component of the course.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course. 

Supplementary assessment is not available if you have failed the laboratory component of this course. The learning objects of the laboratory components are demonstrated throughout the semester and it is not possible to validly reassess these learning objectives in the supplementary assessment period.

Supplementary assessment in this course will be a 2-hour examination similar in style to the end-of-semester examination. To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Artificial Intelligence

Assessment tasks in this course evaluate students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Requests for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through your my.UQ portal and you must provide documentation of your circumstances, as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed. Your application must be submitted on or before the assessment item's due date and time.
• Applications for extension can take time to be processed so you should continue to work on your assessment item while awaiting a decision. We recommend that you submit any completed work by the due date, and this will be marked if your application is not approved. Should your application be approved, then you will be able to resubmit by the agreed revised due date.
• If an extension is approved, you will be notified via your my.UQ portal and the new date and time for submission provided. It is important that you check the revised date as it may differ from the date that you requested.
• If the basis of the application is a medical condition, applications should be accompanied by a medical certificate dated prior to the assignment due date. If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a written statement (Word document) outlining why you cannot provide the documentation. You must then upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
• If an extension is being sought on the basis of exceptional circumstances, it must be accompanied by supporting documentation (eg. Statutory declaration).
• For extensions based on a SAP you may be granted a maximum of 7 days (if no earlier maximum date applies). See the Extension or Deferral availability section of each assessment for details. Your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, additional extension requests for the assessment item will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
• Students may be asked to submit evidence of work completed to date. Lack of adequate progress on your assessment item may result in an extension being denied.
• If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, you are advised to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty - seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
• There are no provisions for exemption from an assessment item within UQ rules. If you are unable to submit an assessment piece then, under special circumstances, you may be granted an exemption, but may be required to submit alternative assessment to ensure all learning outcomes are met.

Applications to defer an exam

In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end-of-semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.

Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Applications can be submitted no later than 5 calendar days after the date of the original exam.
• There are no provisions to defer a deferred exam. You need to be available to sit your deferred examination.
• Your deferred examination request(s) must have a status of "submitted" in mySI-net to be assessed.
• All applications for deferred in-semester examinations are assessed by the relevant school. Applications for deferred end-of-semester examinations are assessed by the Academic Services Division.
• You’ll receive an email to your student email account when the status of your application is updated.
• If you have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability and require alternative arrangements for your deferred exam you’ll need to complete the online alternative exam arrangements through my.UQ. This is in addition to your deferred examinations request. You need to submit this request on the same day as your request for a deferred exam or supplementary assessment. Contact Student Services if you need assistance completing your alternative exam arrangements request.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

A course-specific Ed discussion forum will be used. Access it from the Blackboard course site.

The Physics Learning Centre (PLC) will operate during Week 2-13 of semester, and in "Swat Vac" immediately after classes end. You can drop into the P.L.C. any time during its opening hours to get assistance from a tutor. This support is in addition to your usual practical sessions.

In-person PLC sessions operate every weekday, 12:30-1:30 pm. Location: Parnell Building (07), Room 208 (Physics Student Tea Room).

Online, you can head to the Ed Discussion Board for the PLC. You can ask a question any time on the discussion board (and can be anonymous).

Course staff are more than happy to discuss your attempts to do questions from past exams, but solutions to past exams will not be published en masse.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.