# Polymer Theory 1, Entropy Elasticity, Collapse

1. Polymers are long covalently bonded macromolecules, with N>>1 monomers
   - Biological polymers: Polynucleotides, polypeptides, polysaccharides
   - Homopolymers, heteropolymers
   - Artificial polymers, e.g (-CHH-)N
2. How straight is a polymer?
   - Thermal excitation of rotational isomores
   - Bending rigidity and Persistence length
3. Entropic elasticity:
   - Random walks, Kuhn segments, and the central limit theorem
   - Polymer spring
4. Interactions:
   - Excluded volume; role of solvent
   - Mean-field estimate of the partition function
   - Applet for self-avoiding walks

(Detailed Lecture Notes (PDF))