Real-Life Math
Immunologists use math all the time, says immunologist Dr. Ben Koop.
"We
use it in everything, from figuring out chemical concentrations to statistics
and cluster analyses."
Currently, Koop is working on identifying genes
in the immune system that identify foreign molecules invading the body. It's
important research that will help with the treatment of multiple sclerosis,
cancer and arthritis.
His work requires that he spend
much of his time working in the laboratory conducting experiments with DNA.
Using a process called PCR (which stands for polymerase chain reaction), Koop
chemically reproduces strands of DNA so that he can run further tests upon
them.
Most cells reproduce their DNA in the same way. PCR does the
same thing -- but in a test tube. First, a chemical reaction "undoes" the
2 DNA chains that form the DNA's double-helix shape. Then enzymes called polymerase
make a copy of each strand as a template. From there, the polymerase, using
a supply of the 4 nucleotides that make up DNA, create copies of the strand.
Each copy can then act as a template, allowing researchers to synthesize 1
million copies of DNA in 3 hours.
You're working in a lab and need
to create a reaction solution for your PCR process. You need of 100 mL of
1.5 M MgCl2. M stands for molarity, which is the number of moles
of solute per liter of solution (mole/L). A mole is equal to 6.02 x 1023
particles.
How many grams of MgCl2will you need for the
solution?
The atomic weight of Cl is 34.45 g and the atomic weight
of Mg is 24.3 g.