Give the maximum number of different codons possible.
A)56
B)60
C)64
D)70
E)76

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

There are 4 nitrogenous bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine) in DNA, and each codon is made up of a sequence of 3 bases. Therefore, the total number of possible different codons is 4 x 4 x 4 = 64. Choice A (56) and B (60) are incorrect because they are not divisible by 4. Choice D (70) and E (76) are incorrect because they are higher than the maximum possible number of codons based on the number of nitrogenous bases.

Give the Maximum Number of Different Codons Possible