Physics of the Body
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| MEDS3012 | Medical Education Centre | 3 | 10 | Spring UK |
- Code
- MEDS3012
- School
- Medical Education Centre
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 10
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
The module includes the following topics:
• Terminology, Modeling and Measurement
• Energy, Heat, Work and Power of the Body
• Muscles and Forces
• Physics of the Skeleton
• Pressure of the Body
• Osmosis and the Kidneys (including artificial kidney)
• Physics of Lungs and Breathing
• Physics of Cardiovascular System
• Electrical Signals from the Body
• Sound and Speech
• Physics of the Ear and Hearing
• Physics of the Eyes and Vision
Target Students
Medical School students only.
Classes
- One 2-hour seminar each week for
- Two 1-hour lectures each week for
12x1 hour lectures, 1x2 hour seminar for group presentations. Self-directed learning 86 hours.
Assessment
- 30% Coursework 1: Take-home set of 12 problems with formative assessment
- 30% Coursework 2: Group presentation with slides submitted (25 mins plus 5 mins Q and A)
- 40% Coursework 3: Individual Project Report
Assessed by end of designated period
Educational Aims
While the roles of chemistry and biology in medicine are well accepted, the role of physics is usually not as obvious. Medical students see very little or no applications of physics to medicine. This module aims to provide knowledge of physics applied in medicine in the context of human body function in health and disease.Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes: On a successful completion of the module a student will be expected to be able to understand basic physics concepts in the context of the human body function and physiology and to apply this knowledge to solve practical problems in a variety of medical and physiological applications associated with body function in health and disease.
Specifically, the student will be able to meet areas within the GMC outcomes as follows. The full wording is found in Outcomes for Graduates (2021): 2g, 2q, 3c, 8, 9, 22, 26.