Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A double-stranded DNA molecule is long, and of its bases are adenine. The distance between two consecutive base pairs is , and there are about in each turn of the helix.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
(a) Guanine. Thymine equals adenine: . That leaves for guanine and cytosine together, shared equally: guanine.
(b) Cytosine. The molecule has bases. Cytosine, like guanine, is of them: bases.
(c) Hydrogen bonds. The base pairs are A-T pairs (as many as the adenines) and G-C pairs. A-T pairs have hydrogen bonds and G-C pairs have : hydrogen bonds.
(d) Length. .
(e) Turns. turns. This fits a pitch of : .
Answer: (a) . (b) bases. (c) hydrogen bonds. (d) . (e) turns.
Check. Purines equal pyrimidines: adenine plus guanine is , as it must be when a purine always pairs with a pyrimidine.
Watch out. Percentages are of all the bases of both strands, but the hydrogen bonds are counted per base pair. adenine means adenines, and so A-T pairs, not .
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