Back to Departmental Colloquium: Fall 2014
Departmental Colloquium
Date: Thursday, Nov 13, 2014
Time: 4:00PM
Location: LCB 219
James Sneyd
The University of Auckland
Title |
Neither an ant nor a spider be: historical vignettes in mathematical physiology |
Abstract |
For hundreds of years, mathematics has had a close connection with the biological sciences, and with physiology in particular. Indeed, some of the most famous equations in applied mathematics were originally motivated by physiological problems, such as the flow of blood in blood vessels. In this lecture I shall look briefly at some famous examples of how mathematics has been used to study physiological problems, including Bernoulli’s smallpox model from 1765, mathematical models of the cochlea from Helmholtz to Hudspeth, and the propagation of action potentials in neurons. I’ll end with a brief look at some modern applications of mathematics to physiology, and show how physiology continues to inspire and direct new mathematical investigations. |
Mathematical Biology