Below is from the OG: And btw, biochem is the #1 thing on the MCAT in EVERY section except CARS.
Fluids (PHY) Density, specific gravity Buoyancy, Archimedes’ Principle Hydrostatic pressure o o Pascal’s Law Hydrostatic pressure; P = ρgh (pressure vs. depth) Viscosity: Poiseuille Flow Continuity equation (A∙v = constant) Concept of turbulence at high velocities Surface tension Bernoulli’s equation Venturi effect, pitot tube
Electrostatics (PHY) Charge, conductors, charge conservation Insulators Coulomb’s Law Electric field E o o Field lines Field due to charge distribution Electrostatic energy, electric potential at a point in space
Circuit Elements (PHY) Current I = ΔQ/Δt, sign conventions, units Electromotive force, voltage Resistance o o o o Ohm’s Law: I = V/R Resistors in series Resistors in parallel Resistivity: ρ = R•A / L Capacitance o o o o o Parallel plate capacitor Energy of charged capacitor Capacitors in series Capacitors in parallel Dielectrics Conductivity o o Metallic Electrolytic Meters Magnetism (PHY)
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Definition of magnetic field B Motion of charged particles in magnetic fields; Lorentz force Electrochemistry (GC) Electrolytic cell o o o o o Electrolysis Anode, cathode Electrolyte Faraday’s Law relating amount of elements deposited (or gas liberated) at an electrode to current Electron flow; oxidation, and reduction at the electrodes Galvanic or Voltaic cells o o o Half-reactions Reduction potentials; cell potential Direction of electron flow Concentration cell Batteries o o o Electromotive force, Voltage Lead-storage batteries Nickel-cadmium batteries Specialized Cell - Nerve Cell (BIO) Myelin sheath, Schwann cells, insulation of axon Nodes of Ranvier: propagation of nerve impulse along axon
Sound (PHY) Production of sound Relative speed of sound in solids, liquids, and gases Intensity of sound, decibel units, log scale Attenuation (Damping) Doppler Effect: moving sound source or observer, reflection of sound from a moving object Pitch Resonance in pipes and strings Ultrasound Shock waves Light, Electromagnetic Radiation (PHY)
Concept of Interference; Young Double-slit Experiment Thin films, diffraction grating, single-slit diffraction Other diffraction phenomena, X-ray diffraction Polarization of light: linear and circular Properties of electromagnetic radiation o o Velocity equals constant c, in vacuo Electromagnetic radiation consists of perpendicularly oscillating electric and magnetic fields; direction of propagation is perpendicular to both Classification of electromagnetic spectrum, photon energy E = hf Visual spectrum, color
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Molecular Structure and Absorption Spectra (OC)
Infrared region o o Intramolecular vibrations and rotations Recognizing common characteristic group absorptions, fingerprint region Visible region (GC) o o Absorption in visible region gives complementary color (e.g., carotene) Effect of structural changes on absorption (e.g., indicators) Ultraviolet region o o π-Electron and non-bonding electron transitions Conjugated systems NMR spectroscopy o o Protons in a magnetic field; equivalent protons Spin-spin splitting
Geometrical Optics (PHY) Reflection from plane surface: angle of incidence equals angle of reflection Refraction, refractive index n; Snell’s law: n1 sin θ1 = n2 sin θ2 Dispersion, change of index of refraction with wavelength Conditions for total internal reflection Spherical mirrors o o o Center of curvature Focal length Real and virtual images Thin lenses o o o Converging and diverging lenses Use of formula 1/p + 1/q = 1/f, with sign conventions Lens strength, diopters Combination of lenses Lens aberration Optical Instruments, including the human eye
