Introduction to Quantitative Biology

Abstract

In this introductory chapter, we begin by discussing what quantitative biology is. Although the term is used quite often these days, it is difficult to define. In fact, there seems to be no clear-cut and universal definition. We will review historical background leading to interest in the field of quantitative biology. We next discuss why a student or scientist new to the field may want to study quantitative biology using this book. Intended readers of the book are biology students and scientists who are not familiar with quantitative approaches, such as statistical analyses and computer modeling. We hope to convince readers that quantitative ways of thinking and skills are inevitable in modern biology. We will focus on the construction of quantitative models and analyses using computational modeling as a basic skill in quantitative biology. At the end of the chapter, we will discuss the importance of quantitative modeling in quantitative biology and the factors that contribute to a good model.KeywordsQuantitative biologySystems biologyModeling