Yeah I don't get it either surely if the number of chromosomes were the same the mass would be the same.
Ok look at this question, first fill in the sperm cell - which is half the chromosomes as it is a gamete. If it has half the chromosomes, it will have 1/4 of the mass of DNA. I'll explain this after I'm finished with the Telophase bit.
Look back at the concept of mitosis...what is it? It's the cell division which produces TWO IDENTICAL cells as the SAME number of CHROMOSOMES. So the chromosome number is 26. BUT the mass of the DNA halves as that one parent cell (at stage of prophase) splits equally into TWO so it halves.
Going back to the mass of the DNA of the sperm cell, the telophase is talking about TWO cells. The sperm cell only comes from ONE of those TWO cells so the mass of DNA also is halved again from the telophase one.
Ok look at this question, first fill in the sperm cell - which is half the chromosomes as it is a gamete. If it has half the chromosomes, it will have 1/4 of the mass of DNA. I'll explain this after I'm finished with the Telophase bit.
Look back at the concept of mitosis...what is it? It's the cell division which produces TWO IDENTICAL cells as the SAME number of CHROMOSOMES. So the chromosome number is 26. BUT the mass of the DNA halves as that one parent cell (at stage of prophase) splits equally into TWO so it halves.
Going back to the mass of the DNA of the sperm cell, the telophase is talking about TWO cells. The sperm cell only comes from ONE of those TWO cells so the mass of DNA also is halved again from the telophase one.
Hopefully that helps
Does that mean if a cell keeps reproducing via mitosis it will eventually have pretty much no mass? Or does the mass tart to increase when it enters the interphase stage.
Does that mean if a cell keeps reproducing via mitosis it will eventually have pretty much no mass? Or does the mass tart to increase when it enters the interphase stage.
I think that goes into too much detail, they are simply asking if you understand how the concept 'works'.