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The diagram shows cell division by mitosis - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 2 - 2015 - Paper 1
Question 2
The diagram shows cell division by mitosis. (a) Describe how the diagram shows that this cell division is mitosis. (b) A skin cell divides by mitosis once every da... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The diagram shows cell division by mitosis - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 2 - 2015 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe how the diagram shows that this cell division is mitosis.
Answer
Mitosis is characterized by the following:
- Genetically Identical Cells: The diagram indicates that the two resulting cells are genetically identical to one another and to the original cell.
- Diploid Cells: It produces diploid cells since it maintains the full number of chromosomes, which are represented as chromosomes in the diagram.
- One Cell Division: The diagram shows that one cell divides to form two new cells, highlighting the process of mitosis.
Step 2
Calculate how many days it would take to produce 16 skin cells from one skin cell.
Answer
To calculate the number of days required to produce 16 skin cells from one skin cell:
Starting with 1 skin cell, the number of cells doubles with each cell division:
- Day 0: 1 cell
- Day 1: 2 cells
- Day 2: 4 cells
- Day 3: 8 cells
- Day 4: 16 cells
Thus, it takes 4 days to produce 16 skin cells.