In this equation p² + 2pq + q² = 1, what does the term 2pq represent?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The equation presented is the Hardy-Weinberg equation, which describes the relationship between allele and genotype frequencies in a population that is not evolving.

The term 2pq represents the frequency of heterozygous individuals in the population, where p and q are the frequencies of the two alleles in the population. Specifically, p represents the frequency of the dominant allele, and q represents the frequency of the recessive allele.

Therefore, 2pq is the expected genotype frequency of individuals who are heterozygous for the specific gene being studied.

In This Equation P2 + 2pq + Q2 = 1

In This Equation P² + 2pq + Q² = 1