Background: Ligands are little molecules (which could be proteins or chemicals or whatever) which bind to a larger biomolecule (eg, a protein or DNA) called the receptor. "Receptor/ligand" binding affinity refers to how strongly different ligands want to attach to different receptors. Both binding (association) and un-binding (dissociation) is happening all the time, so you get a (dynamic, or possibly steady state) distribution of binding probability. ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligand_(biochemistry) ODEs (ordinary differential equations) are those involving only a single independent variable; eg, solving for x in terms of t, only having derivatives dx/dt, (d^2 x / d x^2), etc. the order of the ODE is the highest order of derivative. PDEs (partial differential equations) are those involving multiple independent variables, and thus partial derivatives. Eg, x in terms of t and r, having derivatives del x / del t, del x / del r, and del^2 x / (del t * del r). ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_equation#Ordinary_and_partial --------- Law of mass action: rate of a reaction involving two quantities is proportional to the product of the densities of both. Michaelis-Menten: approximation to solution of enzyme-catalyzed reaction equation: d [S] / dt = (max reaction rate) * [S] / (Km + [S]) [S] is concentration of substrate S Km is Michaelis constant, which is a specific substrate concentration (max reaction rate) =~ k_2 [E]_total Km =~ (k_-1 + k_2) / (k_1) all assuming that enzyme E catalizes S into P with rates k_n: -> k_1 [E] + [S] [ES] -> k_2 [E] + [P] <- k_-1