Calculations for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

Frank H. Stephenson

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9780128025987
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Molecular Biology
• Index: Biological Sciences

Calculations in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Third Edition, helps researchers utilizing molecular biology and biotechnology techniques—from student to professional—understand which type of calculation to use and why. Research in biotechnology and molecular biology requires a vast amount of calculations. Results of one data set become the basis of the next. An error of choosing the wrong type of equation can turn what would have been a successful research project or weeks of labor and research into a veritable house of cards. It could be how you calculated the medium in which you test your sample to calculating how long it takes a sample to grow to calculating the synthesis of multiple variables.

In one easy to use reference, Stephenson reviews the mathematics and statistics related to the day-to-day functions of biotechnology and molecular biology labs, which is a sticking point for many students, technicians, and researchers. The book covers all of the basic mathematical and statistical needs for students and professionals, providing them with a useful tool for their work.

• Features comprehensive calculations in biotechnology and molecular biology experiments from start to finish
• Provides coverage ranging from basic scientific notations to complex subjects like nucleic acid chemistry and recombinant DNA technology
• Includes recent applications of the procedures and computations in clinical, academic, industrial, and basic research laboratories cited throughout the text
• Features new coverage of digital PCR and protein quantification including chromatography and radiolabelling of proteins
• Includes more sample problems in every chapter for readers to practice concepts

Chapter 1

Scientific Notation and Metric Prefixes

Abstract

Life science deals with extreme numbers from the infinitesimally small (such as nanogram quantities of DNA) to the uncommonly large (the numbers of bases making up an organism's genome). This chapter introduces the concept of significant digits, scientific notation, and metric prefixes as a way to express numbers outside the range of the nonscientist's experience. Conversion factors and the mathematical technique of canceling terms to bring a value to a new unit of measure are demonstrated.

Keywords

Canceling terms; Conversion factor; Decimal notation; Exponent; Metric prefix; Rounding off; Scientific notation; Significant digits; The Associative Law of Multiplication; The Commutative Law of Multiplication; The Product Rule; The Quotient Rule

Introduction

There are some 3,000,000,000 base pairs making up human genomic DNA within a haploid cell. If that DNA is isolated from such a cell, it will weigh approximately 0.0000000000035 g. To amplify a specific segment of that purified DNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 0.00000000001 moles of each of two primers can be added to a reaction that can produce, following some 30 cycles of PCR, over 1,000,000,000 copies of the target gene.

On a day-to-day basis, molecu...