The Physics Alive Podcast
Episode #43
Diffraction of DNA and the DNA of my Physics Class
Or download the episode from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or Amazon.
In this episode, I talk about DNA: a simple DNA diffraction and interference experiment using the spring from a pen and the DNA, the structure, of my introductory physics class during the spring ’22 semester.
Support Physics Alive on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/physicsalive
Episode Notes and Resources
You can leave comments at the bottom of this page, or share discussion on the Physics Alive Twitter feed.
DNA Diffraction and Interference Lab and/or Demonstration
Figure 1: X-ray diffraction pattern of B-DNA labeled Photo 51 by Rosalind Franklin.
Figure 2: Interference pattern from a pen spring. Pattern produced from a red diode laser passing through the spring from a pen. Projected on a screen 8 meters away.
Here are the articles I referenced about DNA interference and diffraction experiments:
X-ray diffraction and DNA optical transform from the ICE (Institute for Chemical Education) Online store at wisc.edu
DNA of Brad’s introductory physics class (Spring 2022)
Star grading system:
Here’s the entire syllabus for the spring 2022 semester of PHYS 105: Survey of Physics II for life science majors:
Specifications grading:
- “Specifications Grading” by Linda Nilson
- Short article about Specs Grading by Linda Nilson
- Blog post on Specifications Grading by Robert Talbert