The human genome contains 2.9×10⁹ base pairs. Approximately ho...

Question

The human genome contains 2.9×10⁹ base pairs. Approximately how many nucleosomes are required to organize the 10-nm–fiber structure of the human genome? Show the calculation you use to determine the answer.

Accepted Answer

Hello, everyone. Let's look at our next question. Each nucleosome consists of approximately 147 base pairs of DNA wrapped around a Histone October. Can you calculate how many nucleosome it would take to organize the entire human genome of 2.9 times 10 to the ninth base pairs into a 10 nanometer fiber choice A 1.97 times 10 to the seventh nucleosome. Choice. B 1.97 times 10 to the ninth nucleosome. Choice C 2.9 times 10 to the seventh nucleosome choice D 147 times 10 to the ninth nucleus. So let's think about how to solve this problem. We're given the total number of base pairs in the entire human genome and the number of base pairs in each nucleosome because those are the number of base pairs wrapped around a his stone to make up each nucleosome. So we'll want to divide the number of base pairs, bye the number of base pairs per nuo zone. And that will give us the number of nucleosome it would take to organize the entire human genome. So that will equal the number of base pairs in the human genome, 2.9 times 10 to the ninth base pairs divided by 147 base pairs per nucleus. And when we do that math, we get 0. times 10th of the ninth nucleosome. And to convert that into standard scientific notation, we get 1.97 times 10 to the seventh nucleosome. So let's look over at our answer choices and we can see that that corresponds to choice A and just a little note here that if I were looking at this on a test and I were needing to go very quickly, I could eliminate some answer choices because I'm dividing my number by about 200. So it makes sense that my exponent of my scientific notation would be reduced by two from 10 to the ninth to 10 to the seventh. So if you were in a hurry and were trying to eliminate some things quickly, you could eliminate choices B and D right away because they still have the exponent of 10 to the ninth. And then you would just be going between A and C. But again, we've calculated that the number of nucleosome it would take to organize the entire human genome of 2.9 times 10 to the ninth base pairs is choice a one point times 10 to the seventh nucleosome. See you in the next video.

Struggling with Genetics?

The human genome contains 2.9×10⁹ base pairs. Approximately how many nucleosomes are required to organize the 10-nm–fiber structure of the human genome? Show the calculation you use to determine the answer.

Watch next

Eukaryotic Chromosome Structure practice set