alleryStart learning →What distance separates one base pair from the next in the DNA double helix?
AAbout 0.34 nanometres apart
BAbout 3.4 nanometres apart
CAbout 0.034 nanometres apart
DAbout 34 nanometres apart
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. About 0.34 nanometres apart
1. The bases are stacked in the interior of the helix like the steps of a staircase.
2. Every base pair is separated from the next by 0.34 nm, that is 0.34 nanometres.
3. The other options move the decimal point by one or two places, giving values ten to a hundred times too large or too small.
4. Keeping the unit written out as nanometres is what makes the size check possible.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 "Biological Macromolecules", section 3.5 Nucleic Acids_
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