Question

The total number of codons and amino acids are:

• A. 64, 20
• B. 20, 64
• C. 23, 46
• D. 46, 23

Answer 1

The correct option is A 64, 20

The total number of codons and amino acids are 64,20. The number of codons produced is dependent on the number of base pairs in each codon. The number of codons that is made, can be easily calculated by $4^n$. This is because there are four possible base pairs, so for each base pair you add to a codon. You could add an A, T, C, or G. This multiplies the total number of possible codons by 4; each time, add a base pair. The maximum number of codons you can make, having three base pairs each, is 64.