E. coli has only 4 . 6 × 10 6 base pairs and completes the process of replication within 18 minutes; then the average rate of polymerisation is approximately:

Step-by-step solution

Given, Number of base pairs = 4 . 6 x 10 6 = 4600000 Time = 18 minutes = 18   x   60   = 1080 seconds The average rate of polymerisation can be calculated using the formula: Rate   of   polymerisation = Number   of   base   pairs Time = = 4600000 1080 = 4259   bp / s It is approximately 4000   base   pairs / second .