Question

If the length of E. coli DNA is $1.36mm$, can you calculate the number of base pairs in E.coli?

Answer 1

The distance between two consecutive base pairs in a double helix DNA is 0.34 X ${10}^{-}9$m.

The total length of double helix DNA in an organism can be calculated by multiplying the total number of base pairs with distance between two consecutive base pairs

Total length of double helix DNA = total number of base pairs X distance between two consecutive bp

1.36mm = x X 0.34 X ${10}^{-}9$m

by solving this we get, x = 4 X ${10}^6$bp

So the number o base pairs in a DNA of E.Coli o 1.36mn is 4 X${10}^6$ bp