ABSTRACT
It is nice to know that the computer understands the problem. But I would like to understand it too.
Nobel laureate Eugene Wigner (1902-1995), one of the founders of modern quantum mechanics.
Previously in this book we have discussed a range of valuable biophysical tools and techniques that can be used primarily in experimental investigations. However, biological insight from any experiment demands not only the right hardware but also a range of appropriate techniques that can, rather broadly, be described as theoretical biophysics. Ultimately, genuine insight into the operation of complex processes in biology is only gleaned by constructing a theoretical model of some sort. But this is a subtle point on which some life and physical scientists differ in their interpretation. To some biologists, a “model” is synonymous with speculation toward explaining experimental observations, embodied in a hypothesis. However, to many physical scientists, a “model” is a real structure built from sound physical and mathematical principles that can be tested robustly against the experimental data obtained, in our case from the vast armory of biophysical experimental techniques described in Chapters 3 through 7 in particular.
