The Physics of Life

Physics 171: The University of Oregon, Department of Physics

Prof. Raghuveer Parthasarathy

Department of Physics
The University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1274
Email: raghu@uoregon.edu

Examples  of  Conceptual  Questions  

Tree  frogs  and  scaling  

This question was posed at a pre-exam review session. Students were asked to discuss, in small groups, attributes of
the various possible answers given below. A similar question appeared on an exam.
Tree frogs have adhesive toe pads that help them stick to surfaces. The force of adhesion (in
other words, the maximum force they can withstand before being pulled off) is proportional to the
area of the pads. Imagine a tree frog climbing a tree; gravity is pulling the frog “off” the tree, and
adhesion is keeping it on. Suppose we consider the body shapes of many species and sizes of tree
frogs. Explain whether each of the following is or is not a reasonable possibility. (Note that we’re
not asking which is true! Rather, which is or isn’t consistent with what we’ve learned about physics
and scaling.)

A. If the tree frogs are all isometric, there should be a maximum size above which tree frogs can’t
climb trees. (In other words, we should not find tree frogs above a certain size, since they
couldn’t climb trees, and so wouldn’t be tree frogs!)
B. Tree frogs might be non-isometric in such a way that larger frogs would have
disproportionately wide toes compared to what we’d expect for isometric scaling.
C. Tree frogs might be non-isometric in such a way that larger frogs would have
disproportionately large volumes compared to what we’d expect for isometric scaling.
D. If the tree frogs are all isometric, it should be easier to pull larger frogs off of trees.
Paper  clips  
This question was asked on an exam. In class, we had seen and discussed the phenomenon of a metal paper clip
“floating” on water. 70% of the students answered this question correctly.
A paperclip is placed on the surface of a glass of water and does not sink. Which of the following is
an accurate description as to why?

A. The paperclip’s density is less then that of water, so the paperclip floats with most of its
volume above the water.
B. The paperclip’s metallic perimeter acts as a surfactant, continuously sliding water under the
paperclip and keeping the paperclip afloat.
C. The paperclip’s weight dimples the surface, and the surface’s resistance to an increased area
keeps the paperclip above the surface.
D. The paperclip’s shape traps air bubbles along its length, keeping it from sinking even though
the paperclip has a density that is higher than water.

Fire  Ants  
This question was asked on an exam. In class, we discussed fire ant behavior as examined in this paper:
N. J. Mlot, C. A. Tovey, D. L. Hu, Fire ants self-assemble into waterproof rafts to survive floods.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 108, 7669–7673 (2011) [http://www.pnas.org/content/108/19/7669.abstract].
Students also had a homework question on this topic.

An individual fire ant can walk on water, supported by surface tension. As you know, when their
forests flood, the ants join together to form a “raft.” Explain why the raft can’t be supported by
surface tension. Write a clear, coherent paragraph or two, and also mention relevant equations. Note
that I am not asking for any numbers. At the end, write a sentence that says what the ants’
“solution” to this problem is.

Size  and  Diffusion  

This question was posed at a pre-exam review session.

Imagine a protein released from point “A” in a cell that will trigger some response when it diffuses
to point “B.” On average, this travel takes 20 milliseconds. Suppose the cell is magically scaled up
isometrically in size by a factor of 10, and its proteins also grow in size by 10x. (In other words, the
distance from A to B is 10x longer, and the diameter of the protein is 10x longer.) How long will it
take the protein to get from A to B?
Protein  Folding  
This question was asked on an exam.
What are the most important physical interactions that determine the structure of proteins? Why is
Brownian motion important for protein structure? Answer in a few sentences.

Lipid  Domains  
This question was asked in class, and a similar question was asked on an exam.

In the lab, one can make “vesicles,” spheres of lipid bilayer, which are used to study various
properties of membranes. Here are some images of such membrane spheres1 in which there are two
different types of lipid, one of which is labeled by a green dye, and one by a red dye. Each sphere is
many microns across, thousands of times larger than a single lipid. Notice that the green “domains”
are circular. What is a plausible explanation for this?

A. The two types of lipids (red and green), since they are both lipids, want to maximize the
contact between the two colors. The shape (in two-dimensions) that maximizes the
perimeter is a circle, so the domains are circular.
B. To maximize the contact between the hydrophilic heads of the lipids and the water, the lipid
bilayer divides itself into many small segments, so that the overall surface area is greater.
C. The green lipids have “heads” that are more hydrophilic than the red lipids. They therefore
form bulging round domains.
D. Each type of lipid bilayer (red and green) is a fluid. Like all fluids, they seek to minimize the
number of molecules at the boundary. The shape (in two-dimensions) that minimizes the
edge is a circle, so the domains are circular.

1Bacia, K., P. Schwille, and T. Kurzchalia. 2005. Sterol structure determines the separation of phases and the curvature
of the liquid-ordered phase in model membranes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 102: 3272–3277