A researcher isolates a specific double-stranded DNA fragment that contains 2 10⁵ base pairs. What will be the approximate physical length of this DNA fragment?

Step-by-step solution

The distance between two consecutive base pairs in a typical B-DNA double helix is 0.34 nm or 0.34 10⁻⁹ m . The total length of the DNA fragment is calculated by multiplying the total number of base pairs by the distance between two consecutive base pairs. Length = 2 10⁵ 0.34 10⁻⁹ m Length = 0.68 10⁻⁴ m Converting meters to micrometers ( m ), where 1 m = 10⁻⁶ m : Length = 68 10⁻⁶ m = 68 m Answer: 68 m