Question

If you performeda PCR experimentstarting withonly onecopy of double-stranded DNA, approximately how many DNA molecules would be present in the reaction tube after 15 cycles of amplification?

Short answer

Answer: 32,768 DNA molecules.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the number of cycles and initial DNA molecules

In this problem, we have 15 cycles of amplification (n=15) and initially, there is only 1 copy of double-stranded DNA (Initial number of DNA molecules = 1).

Use the amplification formula

To calculate the DNA molecules after the amplification, we use the formula: Number of DNA molecules after n cycles = 2^n * Initial number of DNA molecules

Calculate the number of DNA molecules after 15 cycles

Now, let's plug our values into the formula and compute the final number of DNA molecules present after 15 cycles: Number of DNA molecules after 15 cycles = 2^15 * 1 = 32768 So, there will be approximately 32,768 DNA molecules present in the reaction tube after 15 cycles of amplification.