Is DNA and Chromosomes the same?

Okay, I know a chromosome is made up of DNA
but like in different text books when it comes to cell division it's either the chromosomes will replicate or the DNA, so they are both the same, i guess. However, in my textbook it says when a DNA replicate it forms a X-shaped chromosome so does that mean 2 DNA's = a chromosome and in my other textbook it says that the chromosome replicates to produce another chromatid. I'm confused now..

Well, chromosomes are made up of DNA, which in turn is made up of lots of amino acid chains.

The DNA is in a double helix shape, which kind of unzips and each side serves as a template for the replication of the other. A molecule then 'walks' down the gap and produces the correct bases to pair with each corresponding base so the DNA replicate, and then it seals up into one long strand and rezips again.

Hope this helps.

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Chromosomes are basically long strands of DNA so its like a table made of wood (sorry awful example but you get the idea, the DNA is the building material of the chromosome)

On a similar topic but A2 could someone explain the difference between a:

Chromosome
Chromatid
Homologous pair
Bivalent

In meiosis

Chromosome is a single strand of coiled DNA

A chromatid is the single half when it divides.

Homologous pairs are the pairs of matching chromosomes from the mother and father

Not too sure, but I think it's two homologous pairs that are held together after the chromosomes replicate.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Chromosomes are basically long strands of DNA so its like a table made of wood (sorry awful example but you get the idea, the DNA is the building material of the chromosome)

On a similar topic but A2 could someone explain the difference between a:

Chromosome
Chromatid
Homologous pair
Bivalent

In meiosis

I'm pretty sure that it's a chromosome when it's a single straight line- l - and also when it's an X shape. So normally you have 46 chromosomes in a cell, l shaped. When your DNA replicates for mitosis or meiosis you get an X shaped chromosome- this is one chromosome with two chromatids, held together by the centromere, which is that dot at the middle of the X. Think of it like two identical pieces of string, each one being a chromatid, which are tied together in the middle. When the cell divides (for mitosis), the two chromatids are separated to from two chromosomes with are l shaped, one single strand. These two chromosomes formed from the two chromatids are totally identical.

Of course in meiosis it gets fancy and divides twice but that's basically it for the whole chromosome vs chromatid thing. My teacher says people always gets confused by that because textbooks talking about mitosis/meiosis always show chromosomes as X because they're in the middle of replicating, but in fact normally they aren't X shaped, just one strand.

X is often referred to as a chromosome but I think technically they're sister chromatids rather than a chromosome which is the diffuse form(singular line).

Could be yeah, I'm not totally sure on that- I think at GCSE the exam board are fine with you calling X a chromosome though

Didn't realise the thread was aimed at GCSE students in that case your right X is thought of as a chromosome that has under gone replication.

Thanx everyone for the answers, one more thing in Meiosis, in the first division, is there a genetic variation cos I think that the "second division" is the one that causes the variation to occur, am I right?