Chapter 1
What is Pharmacy?
Pharmacy is a science one studies to learn how to prepare medicinal drugs and also to learn how to distribute the drugs. Those who study pharmacy are known as pharmacists. Pharmacists also provide patients with information about the medicinal drugs prescribed to them and also advise health practitioners about the selection and side effects of known or new medications.
Why do I care about the Physics in Pharmacy?
After researching all the different topics of physics in pharmacy, I definitely know that by understanding physics, I will be more successful in pharmacy. This is because from all the physics' topics, I can see that all the basic knowledge and concepts of pharmacy come from physics. Whether it be in understanding the human body, the elements used to make the drugs, or even just the machinery used, it all has a basis in physics.
Atomic and Subatomic Physics will help me understand structures of the elements I am using to make drugs and how they are able to bond with one another. Work and Energy, Heat, and Thermodynamics will all help me understand the way the machines and I must work in order to complete
( 1 )
reactions. They also help me understand how and why heat is being transferred during a reaction and in understanding how much heat/energy is needed to change the states of different elements. Lastly, Fluid Mechanics will help me understand how bodies work and how they are affected by different forces and substances.
It will also help me understand the properties of elements I work with in liquid and gaseous states. In general, Physics covers such a wide area in the sciences that it is nearly impossible to say that physics does not contribute to a certain occupation.
Why we study physics?
What are the forces of the body during various activities, how much useful work can be done by your body, or the relationship of an electrocardiogram to your heart’s electrical activity, or how a medical x- ray works, or how much radiation you receive from an x-ray?
From study of physics we can understand the behavior of the body. The
application of physics such as mechanics, heat, light, sound, electricity, and
magnetism to pharmacy .
( 2 )
Modelling
Sometimes in trying to understand a physical phenomenon we simplify it
by selecting main features and ignoring those that we believe are less important.
Physicists often teach and think by analogy. For example, in many ways the eye is analogous to a camera, and a model in which the flow of blood in represented by the flow of electricity in often used in the study of the body circulatory system, this electrical model can simulate very well many phenomena of the cardiovascular system. Other models are mathematic equations that can be used to describe and predict the physical behavior of some systems, for example the
relationship between force F , mass m and acceleration a usually written as F = ma (Newton’s second law) and the function (f) R = f(P) which mean that the heart rate R is the function of the power produced by the body P .
Measurement
The common measurements used in the practice of pharmacy are for example:
1- Weight of the body
2- Pulse rate
3- Temperature
4- Blood pressure
5- X- ray
( 3 )
6- Volume measurement
7 – Flow rate
Some of these measurements are more reproducible than others. In pharmacy it is often convenient to measures quantities in non- standard units. For example the correct units for pressure are the force per unit area (N/M2). Blood pressure is generally expressed in mm of Hg (millimeters of mercury), a length of liquid.
There are many other physical measurement involving the body and time we can divided them into two groups:
1- Measurement of repetitive processes such as the pulse.
2- Measurement of non-repetitive processes
In general it is desirable to have both good accuracy and good precision. It is an
accepted fact that is science the process of measurement may significantly alter the quantity being measured. A clinical measurement in itself does not necessarily determine whether a patient is well or ill. For each medical test there is usually a well established range of normal values.
Also the results of many clinical laboratory tests can be affected by outside factors such as medications. It is not surprising that sometimes wrong decisions are made. These are of two types:
( 4 )
1- False positives
2- False negatives
The first occurs when a patient is diagnosed to have a particular disease when he does not have it. While the false negative error occurs when a patient is diagnosed to be free of a particular disease when he does have it.
Diagnostic errors can be reduced by research into the causes of misleading
laboratory test values and by developments of new clinical tests and better
instrumentation and also by taking care in taking the measurements using reliable instruments and properly calibration the instruments.
Quantity Unit in basic form Name of unit Abbrevation
Length m meter M
Time s second S
Mass kg kilogram Kg
Force Kg.m.s-2 Newton N
Work or Energy Kg.m2..s-2(N.m) joule J
Power Kg.m2.s-3(Js-1) watt W
Temperature K Kelvin K
( 5 )
Current A ampere A
Charge As coulomb C
Potential differences Kg.m2.s -3A-1(JA-1s-1) volt V
Resistance Kg.m2.s-3A-2(VA-1 ) ohm Ω
Inductance Kg.m2 .s-2 A-2 (Ωs) henry H
Capacitance A2 s4 kg-1m-2(sΩ-1) farad F
Magnetic flux Kgm2 s-2A-1(Vs) weber Wb
Frequency s-1 hertz Hz
Abbreviation Prefix Factor
T tera 1012
G giga 109
M mega 106
K kilo 103
H hector 102
D deca 101
d deci 10-1
c centi 10-2
m milli 10-3
μ micro 10-6
n nano 10-9
( 6 )
p pico 10-12
f femto 10-15
a atto 10-18
Review Questions
1- Give three examples of the use of the word of physical in medicine.
2- List three physical measurements usually made during a physical
examinations.
3- What is the ratio of your pulse rate to your breathing rate?
4- How can the accuracy and precision of the physical measurement be
improved?
5- Determine your age in minutes. Include an estimate of the error.
6- (a) Describe a method you might use for measuring the height of a
person who is still growing. What are the sources of error?
(b) Is the measuring the height the best way is determining growth
changes? Can you think of other method?
7 - What factors are influencing the results of weighing?
( 7 )
Chapter 2
Mechanics
Chapter 2- Mechanics
Kinematics of particle.
Motion along a straight line and motion in two and three dimensions.
Kinematics of particle.
Motion along a straight line.
Path, displacement, velocity, acceleration.
Curvilinear motion.
Tangential and normal acceleration
Principles of the dynamics.
Force, mass, momentum.
Types forces.
Circular motion. Centripetal and centrifugal forces. centrifugation. Types centrifuges.
( 8 )
Chapter 3-Work and energy
power. Laws of conservation of energy and momentum.
Chapter 4 - Heat and thermodynamics.
Elements of thermodynamics
The laws of thermodynamics
Free energy, free enthalpy, chemical potential
Transport processes
Diffusion
Chapter 5 - Fluid mechanics
Hydrostatics.
Motion of ideal fluid.
Motion of real fluid
Pascal’s law.
Hydrostatic pressure, Archimedes’ law.
Equation of continuity.
Bernoulli’s equation.
Laminar and turbulent flow.
Viscosity. Stokes and Poiseuille's laws. Reynolds number.
Non-Newtonian fluids. Viscometers.
( 9 )
Chapter 6 -Electricity and magnetism
Electrostatic interaction.
Coulomb’s law.
Electric field.
Electric field lines.
Electric potential and voltage.
Conductors and dielectrics in electric field.
Electrical current.
Magnetic field.
Electromagnetic induction.
Magnetic properties of the matter.
Magnetic force.
Motion of charged particles in magnetic field.
Cyclotron.
Mass-spectrometer.
Magnetic force on current carrying wire.
Torque on a current loop.
Magnetic dipole moment.
Magnetic flux.
Electromagnetic induction.
Faraday’s law.
( 10 )
Inductance. Energy of the magnetic field.
Magnetization. Magnetic susceptibility and permeability.
Types of magnetics.
Conductors and dielectrics in electric field.
Conductor in electrostatic field.
Capacitor.
Energy stored in an electric field.
Electric dipole.
Dielectric constant and polarization of the dielectrics.
Electrical current.
Current density.
Ohm’s law.
Electromotive force.
Electrical circuits.
Alternating current. Resistance and capacitive and inductive reactance. Impedance. Power in the alternating current circuits. Conditions for AC damages.
Chapter 7 - Oscillations and waves
Mechanical oscillations.
harmonic oscillator.
Energy of the harmonic oscillator.
( 11 )
Damped oscillator, forced oscillator and resonance.
Mechanical waves – main features.
Velocity of waves. Energy transport. Intensity. Standing waves.
Doppler effect – applications.
Chapter 8 - Sound
The speed of sound gases.
Sound pressure.
Ultrasound – applications.
Electromagnetic waves – properties.
Electromagnetic waves spectrum.
Reflection and refraction laws.
Total internal reflection.
Measuring refraction. Fiber optics.
Light absorption and scattering.
Dispersion and polarization of light.
Light absorption and scattering.
Chapter 9 - Atomic and nuclear physics
Structure of the atom
Models of the atom
Molecular and supramolecular systems
( 12 )
The electromagnetic spectrum. Light
The laser
X-rays
Structure of the atomic nucleus. Radioactivity
Interaction of nuclear radiations with matter
Biological effect of radiations
1. Ionizing radiation – absorption, scattering and attenuation.
2. Biological effects and radioprotection. Maximum permissible doses.
3. Measuring ionizing radiation – Ionization chambers; G-M counters; Scintillation counters; Film dosimeters; Thermoluminescent dosimetry.
4. Isotopes – atom structure, isotopes (radioactive and stable isotopes, man-made background radiation); radionuclide imaging; using of stable isotopes in biochemistry.
5. Radiaton therapy.
6. Nuclear magnetic resonance.
7. Molecular structure. Structural diagrams;
8. Molecular interaction – intra- and intermolecular interaction
( 13 )
Some abstracts about chapters:
Work and Energy
Like in all careers, "work" needs to be done in pharmacy. It is important to know that the only way a pharmacist can do any work is by applying a net force on the chemicals, machines, or drugs to "displace it in the direction of a component of the net force." This knowledge is needed when you are transporting drugs and chemicals, and also when working with the machines to turn them on and off, and generally operate them.
It is important to know the way power impacts machinery. "Machines with different power ratings do the same amount of work in different time intervals." This is important for the industrial pharmacists who use machines to create drugs. They must understand that some machines may do certain jobs quicker than others, so they must choose which machine is most efficient for the experiment they are conducting.
Power can also be defined as the rate of energy transferred, so pharmacists must also be mindful about the amount of power they put on different drugs to make sure they stay intact during the creation process.
Heat
Most of the reactions pharmacists perform in order to create drugs involve heat. You will most probably see a pharmacist lighting a bunsen burner if you
( 14 )
were to go to a lab or even just feel a heated machine at work in the lab. Therefore, pharmacists must understand what temperature is and how heat can be transferred from one substance to another through thermal conduction. It is also important for pharmacists to be able to change from Celsius or Fahrenheit to Kelvin because that is the unit most often used among scientists.
Pharmacists often have an element which is in a solid state, but in order to combine it with another element, they must change it to a liquid state. In order to do that, the pharmacist must use heat to increase the element's temperature, causing it to melt and change state. In order for this to be done properly, pharmacists must understand the physic's concepts of specific heat capacity and latent heat which "is the energy required to change the phase of a substance."
Atomic Physics
For pharmacists, atomic physics is very important because it is part of the basis of all their work. It is important for pharmacists to understand how electrons act in a certain atom because this will determine the acts of the element as a whole. By understanding how electrons move around in energy levels and how they emit photons, pharmacists can understand why a certain element is burning a certain color during their reactions and make sure their drugs are exhibiting normal behavior.
( 15 )
Fluid Mechanics
In making drugs, industrial pharmacists use many elements. Some elements they use are in a liquid state or a gaseous state. Both of which are considered fluids. Because of this, it is important for pharmacists to know the properties of fluids. They can then use that information when conducting their reactions and picking which elements to use.
Generally, pharmacists must understand the human body because they are producing and distributing drugs to help someone's body. Therefore, it is necessary for them to understand the concept of fluids in motion. There are many fluids in our body such as blood and urine. It is important to know how these fluids move through our body and using the Bernoulli's principle, understanding how much pressure these fluids exert on the body. This kind of information can help pharmacists understand why you are having pain in certain areas of your body or which drugs will work with the fluids in your body to arrive in the destination they are intended for.
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is mostly needed for pharmacists to understand how their machines will work and how much energy they can expect from them. They use thermodynamics to understand how energy is transferred from the machines to create the reaction or the drug. Thermodynamics also explains how
( 16 )
energy travels through a reaction as heat which allows pharmacists to understand the logistics of their experiments once they are completed.
Subatomic Physics
Similarly to atomic physics, subatomic physics is also in the baseline of pharmaceutical work. Again, when choosing elements to use in a reaction to make drugs, pharmacists use their information about subatomic physics to determine which ones will bond well. They may conduct nuclear reactions and also may experiment with elements undergoing nuclear decay to examine the outcomes.