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.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 UQ Policy, and will not be tolerated. We have developed a suite of resources to 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.

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, applied class and practical activities, and assessments over the semester will be posted on the Blackboard course website. This schedule takes into account public holidays for this semester.

Attend applied classes and practicals according to the timetabling for your particular applied class and practical groups. (If your weekly applied class would take place on a day scheduled as a public holiday, and there are other applied class sessions operating that week, you are welcome to attend another session that week, subject to availability of space in the session).

Classes will be conducted on campus for all students. Consult your personal timetable for times and locations. Students are expected to attend classes in personﾠ unless they have a valid reason for being unable to attend (such as illness). Alternative arrangements will be advised on Blackboard should the campus be closed for any reason.

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

Practical reports

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30%

Due date

Submission of the practical reports will occur in-person at the completion of each Practical Class. The E3-II report will be due one week after completion of each final Practical Class.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, 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.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination 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 three short assessed experiments, E1, E2 and E3-I, late submissions should not occur because reports are to be submitted by the end of the class session.

For the extended experiment and major report E3-II, late submission will be penalised.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item a penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item 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.

End of Semester exam

• Hurdle
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025

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 the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.

Applied Class Quizzes

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

20%

Due date

Submission of the quiz will occur in-person at the completion of each Applied Class.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Quizzes will be paper-based and handed in at the conclusion of each Applied Class.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

In the case where a student is unable to attend an Applied Class, they can attend an alternative day, or choose to forgo that quiz score given the overall mark is taken from the best 8 out of 11 possible quizzes.

Late submission

You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.

Given quizzes will be handed in at the conclusion of each Applied Class, there is no possibility for extensions or late submissions.

Course grading

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

Additional course grading information

Marks for each item in the assessment program will be added up, according to the weightings shown in the Assessment Summary.

To obtain a grade of 4 or higher, students must meet the following requirements

• An achievement of at least 40% of available marks ﾠin the final exam
• An achievement of at least 40% of available marks in 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, but have passed the hurdle for the laboratory component of the course, 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.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

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

To pass this course, students will be required to demonstrate a detailed understanding of course material together with a range of associated skills independent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) tools.

For assessment tasks that are completed in-person (including examinations) termed “secure assessment”, the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted unless otherwise advised. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Other non-secure assessment tasks (such as assignments) are designed to help you develop your understanding and skills, and to prepare you for secure assessment. You are thus generally encouraged to complete such assessment without the use of AI/MT, unless explicitly advised to the contrary in the assessment item. In any event, if you choose to use such tools, then you must clearly reference any such use within your submitted work. A failure to reference AI or MT use 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.

Authorship

Unless specified as group assessment, all assessment is individual.ﾠAll submitted items must be the student's own original work. We strongly recommend that you write up all assessable items (problem sets and laboratory reports) on your own.

Students found to have colluded or to have copied material from other students (past or present), from websites or from other sources without acknowledgement will be referred to a University Academic Integrity Officer for consideration of disciplinary action. Read the Policies & Guidelines section on Plagiarism for further information on the university's approach.

Assessment re-mark

Should you wish to query the grade awarded for a quiz or a laboratory report then, in the first instance, you should discuss the marking with the relevant tutor. If you would like to further query the grade then contact the course coordinator. You will need to provide written support in the form of an academic justification of why you disagree with the grade awarded.

A request for a re-mark of the exam must be submitted following the procedures given in my.UQ.ﾠ

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 in-person and online, during Week 2-13 of semester, and in "Revision Week" 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 Applied Classes.

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

Online, head to the Ed Discussion Board for the PLC. You can ask a question any time on the discussion board (and can be anonymous), or you can request a Zoom meeting for a live, online session.

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 for Students Policy and Procedure

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