Hey, I need help with this genetics/ cell phys question. Thanks If the human gen
ID: 168898 • Letter: H
Question
Hey, I need help with this genetics/ cell phys question. Thanks If the human genome of 3.2 billion basepairs of DNA were scaled up to the size of a piece of rope 10 millimeters in diameter. How long would the rope be? A. About 50 kilometers (about 30 miles), or the distance from Greenville to Kinston. B. About 500 kilometers (about 300 miles), or the distance from Greenville, NC to Greenville, SC C. About 5,000 kilometers (about 3,000 miles), or the distance from Greenville to Ketchikan, Alaska. D. About 50,000 kilometers (about 30,000 miles), approximately the circumference of the world.
Explanation / Answer
The Diameter of the Double helix DNA is 20 A0 or 2 nm.
2 nm = 2 x 10 -9 m
The Diameter of the Rope piece = 10 mm = 10 x 10-3 m = 10-2 m
Then the total folds needed are: 10-2 / 2 x 10 -9
= 1 / 2 x 10 -7
= 0.5 x 10 7
= 5 x 10 6
= 50 x 10 5
= 500 x 10 4
= 5000 x 10 3m
Answer is C. About 5,000 kilometers (about 3,000 miles), or the distance from Greenville to Ketchikan, Alaska.