Physics and Biology Integration

[Medgen]

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So I have two seemingly unrelated questions concerning MCAT physics.

1. According to Bernoulli's principle, as the pressure decreases, the velocity should increase. However, my MCAT biology book has a chart that very clearly indicates that both the pressure and the velocity are at a maximum in the arteries, while pressure and velocity are at minimums in capillaries. Wouldn't that contradict Bernoulli's principle?

2. My MCAT physics book indicates that the speed of a wave through a medium is the same for any given type of wave, regardless of the frequency or wavelength. However, if that is the case, then how is diffraction possible? My physics MCAT book indicates that diffraction occurs because light of different wavelengths travel at different speeds, but that doesn't quite make sense to me because it seems to be a glaring contradiction to the aforementioned principle. Could you explain?

Thanks!!!!

 

[meepification12]

Just for the record I could be completely wrong, but im going to take a shot ..

1. So it makes sense that the pressure decreases when blood flows from the arteries to the capillaries. But even though the capillaries have really small-diametered vessels, the number of these vessels is very great and the sum of the area covered by this can be considered greater than the area covered by an artery.

Therefore, velocity also drops in the capillaries (in comparison to the arteries) because their cross-sectional area is much greater when combined.

I think.

2. I think you might be talking about dispersion? and i believe the speed of light does change with medium.

c=3e8 m/s in a vacuum but depending on the refractive index of the material it can change. so
v=c/n, and

v=(f)*(wavelength) because the frequency of a certain color of light is never going to change.

sorry if that doesn't answer your question..

 

[Medgen]

I did mean chromatic dispersion. My bad.