bio question.

[dazed1980]

If in a population of 2000, 240 members have the recessive trait, how would you calculate p and q?

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[DrMattOglesby]

If in a population of 2000, 240 members have the recessive trait, how would you calculate p and q?

use the Hardy-Weinberg principle.

p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1
p + q = 1

you know q^2 = individuals with recessive "trait" (meaning it is a phenotype and thus homozygous). This value is given as 240.
now you can say, q = sqrt (240)
since you know q, plug it into the bottom equation to find p.
keep in mind that p and q are percentages, so multiply them by the total population to find actual occurences.