In a teaching model, the viability of a sample of pollen halves every 10 minutes after the pollen…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
In a teaching model, the viability of a sample of pollen halves every minutes after the pollen is released. At the start, of the pollen is viable.
- What per cent of the pollen is viable after minutes?
- What per cent is viable after minutes?
- After how many minutes does the viability reach ?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
A pollen grain is the male gametophyte. Its exine is made of sporopollenin and has germ pores. Its intine is made of cellulose and pectin. A grain is about to micrometres wide, and mm is micrometres.
The worked solution
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.
Given. Half-life minutes. Start: .
Plan. Halve the viability once for each half-life.
Step 1. After 20 minutes. Two half-lives: , so .
Step 2. After 30 minutes. Three half-lives: , so .
Step 3. The time for 12.5 per cent. It is reached after three half-lives, which is minutes.
Answer: ; ; minutes.
Check. .
Watch out. This is a model. Real pollen of rice and wheat stays viable for about minutes in all.
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