JEE Advanced levelSingle correct optionDifficulty 3 of 3bm158
A bacterial DNA is grown for many generations in 15N medium, so both strands are heavy. It is then moved to 14N medium and allowed to replicate semi-conservatively for exactly 3 rounds. What fraction of all the single strands contains 15N?
A41
B21
C161
D81
Answer: D
One duplex gives 23=8 duplexes, so 16 strands. The two original heavy strands are conserved, and every new strand is light. Fraction = 2/16=1/8.