Something surprising I realised about the biosecurity field is that it seems to *involve a lot of interesting physics and math*. If you really like physics and looking for something different, you may wish to consider projects in biosecurity. Here are some physics topics with relevant materials geared towards the biosecurity space. I have read through and done exercises on most of these resources, and if not I've found the 'canonical' texts from physics pages and reddit. ### Useful Prerequisites - **Key Concepts** (Prerequisites: Basic calculus): - Newtonian mechanics - Electromagnetism - Thermodynamics - **Resources**: - [David Tong's Classical Mechanics Lecture Notes](http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/dynamics.html) - [David Tong's Electromagnetism Lecture Notes](http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/em.html) - [David Tong's Quantum Mechanics Lecture Notes](http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/quantum.html) - [Dexter Chua's Physics Notes](https://dec41.user.srcf.net/notes/) - Classical Dynamics - Electromagnetism - Quantum Mechanics - Statistical Physics - Fluid Dynamics - [Gerard 't Hooft's How to Become a Good Theoretical Physicist](http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~hooft101/theorist.html) - **Textbooks**: - "Classical Mechanics" by John R. Taylor - "Introduction to Electrodynamics" by David J. Griffiths - "Thermal Physics" by Charles Kittel and Herbert Kroemer ### Computational Biology, AI x Bio, Drug Discovery - **Key Concepts worth knowing** - LLMs and deep learning - Computational quantum chemistry - Computat ### Physics in Far UVC - **Key Concepts worth knowing** (Prerequisites: Basic electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, optics): - Electromagnetism - Electromagnetic spectrum and UV wavelength ranges - Photon energy calculations (E = hc/λ) - Basic absorption and transmission - **Applications**: - Far UVC sterilisation - UV disinfection systems - Light-based pathogen detection - **Textbooks**: - "Optics" by Eugene Hecht (4th or 5th edition) - "Introduction to Modern Optics" by Grant R. Fowles ### Light Scattering and Detection - **Key Concepts** (Prerequisites: Basic wave optics): - Basic scattering principles - Rayleigh scattering - Simple particle detection - Basic fluorescence - **Applications**: - Air quality monitoring - Pathogen detection systems - Aerosol characterization ### Physics in Air Flow and Ventilation - **Key Concepts** (Prerequisites: Basic mechanics, calculus): - Navier-Stokes equations - Reynolds number - Pressure and flow relationships - Simple ventilation calculations - **Applications**: - Ventilation system design - Air filtration optimization - Positive pressure systems - **Classic Textbooks**: - "An Introduction to Fluid Dynamics" by G.K. Batchelor - "Fluid Mechanics" by Frank M. White (8th edition) - "A First Course in Fluid Dynamics" by A.R. Paterson - "Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics" by Bruce R. Munson ### Aerosol Physics - **Key Concepts** (Prerequisites: Basic mechanics, thermodynamics): - Stokes' law - Basic particle motion - Simple size distributions - Basic deposition - **Applications**: - Airborne pathogen transmission - Filtration efficiency - Aerosol sampling - **Textbooks**: - "Aerosol Technology" by William C. Hinds - "Aerosol Science: Theory and Practice" by P. Baron and K. Willeke ### Thermal Properties - **Key Concepts** (Prerequisites: Basic thermodynamics): - Heat transfer basics - Thermal conductivity - Specific heat - Phase changes - **Applications**: - Sterilization processes - Temperature control in labs - Thermal inactivation of pathogens - **Textbooks**: - "Heat and Mass Transfer" by Yunus A. Çengel - "Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer" by Incropera and DeWitt ### Humidity and Water Vapor - **Key Concepts** (Prerequisites: Basic thermodynamics): - Relative humidity - Basic vapor pressure - Dew point - Simple psychrometrics - **Applications**: - Environmental control - Pathogen survival conditions - Decontamination processes ### Surface Properties - **Key Concepts** (Prerequisites: Basic mechanics, chemistry): - Surface tension - Contact angle - Basic surface energy - Simple adhesion - **Applications**: - Antimicrobial surfaces - Filtration materials - Protective coatings - **Textbooks**: - "Introduction to Materials Science for Engineers" by James F. Shackelford - "Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction" by William D. Callister ### Material Degradation - **Key Concepts** (Prerequisites: Basic chemistry): - Basic degradation processes - Chemical stability - Material compatibility - **Applications**: - PPE durability - Surface disinfection - Equipment sterilization ### Sensors and Detection - **Key Concepts** (Prerequisites: Basic electronics, statistics): - Basic signal processing - Detection limits - Simple calibration - Basic uncertainty - **Applications**: - Air quality monitoring - Pathogen detection - Environmental monitoring - **Textbooks**: - "Measurement and Instrumentation Principles" by Alan S. Morris - "Electronic Instrumentation and Measurements" by David A. Bell ### Data Analysis - **Key Concepts** (Prerequisites: Basic statistics): - Basic statistical analysis - Error propagation - Simple uncertainty - Basic signal processing - **Applications**: - Experimental design - Data interpretation - Quality control - **Textbooks**: - "Data Analysis for Scientists and Engineers" by Edward L. Robinson - "Statistical Methods in Experimental Physics" by Frederick James - "Elements of Statistical Learning" by Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani, and Jerome Friedman - Comprehensive coverage of statistical learning methods - Excellent for understanding machine learning applications in physics - Free PDF available online - "Introduction to Statistical Learning" by Gareth James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie, and Robert Tibshirani - More accessible version of ESL - Great for beginners - Also free online ### Modeling and Simulation - **Key Concepts** (Prerequisites: Basic programming, numerical methods): - Basic CFD concepts - Simple Monte Carlo - Basic finite element - Simple molecular dynamics - Statistical learning and machine learning basics - **Applications**: - Ventilation modeling - Aerosol transport - Surface interactions - Data analysis and prediction - **Resources**: - [OpenFOAM](https://www.openfoam.com/) - [COMSOL Multiphysics](https://www.comsol.com/) - [Elements of Statistical Learning Website](https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/ElemStatLearn/) - [Introduction to Statistical Learning Website](https://www.statlearning.com/) - **Textbooks**: - "Numerical Methods for Engineers" by Steven C. Chapra - "Computational Physics" by Mark Newman - "Elements of Statistical Learning" by Hastie, Tibshirani, and Friedman - "Introduction to Statistical Learning" by James et al. ## Contributing This primer is a living document. Please contribute additional topics, resources, or corrections through pull requests or issues.