Genetics: Punnett Square Practice with Hamsters

a. What is the probability that the first three offspring will have brown, long fur?

b. What is the probability that the first offspring will have black, long fur?

c. What is the probability that one of the first three offspring will have black, long fur and the other two brown, short fur?

d. What is the probability that the first offspring will have either brown, long fur or black, short fur?

e. What is the probability that the first offspring will have brown, long fur and the second black, short fur?

a. Probability of Brown, Long Fur for First Three Offspring:

b. Probability of Black, Long Fur for First Offspring:

c. Probability of One Black, Long Fur and Two Brown, Short Fur for First Three Offspring:

d. Probability of Brown, Long Fur or Black, Short Fur for First Offspring:

e. Probability of Brown, Long Fur for First Offspring and Black, Short Fur for Second Offspring:

a. Probability of Brown, Long Fur for First Three Offspring:

The probability of the first three offspring having brown, long fur (bL) can be calculated by multiplying the individual probabilities of each offspring having bL. Using the given data, we can determine that the probability of bL is 1/4. Therefore, the overall probability of the first three offspring having bL is (1/4) x (1/4) x (1/4) = 1/64.

b. Probability of Black, Long Fur for First Offspring:

The probability of the first offspring having black, long fur (BL) is given as 1/4 based on the genetic information provided in the scenario.

c. Probability of One Black, Long Fur and Two Brown, Short Fur for First Three Offspring:

To calculate the probability of one offspring having BL and two offspring having bs (brown, short fur), we need to consider the different combinations. By using the probabilities of BL (1/4) and bs (1/2), we can calculate the overall probability using the formula provided in the data as (1/4) x (1/2) x (1/2) + (1/2) x (1/4) x (1/2) + (1/2) x (1/2) x (1/4) = 3/16.

d. Probability of Brown, Long Fur or Black, Short Fur for First Offspring:

The data indicates that the sum of the probabilities of bL and bS should be 5/4, which is not a valid probability value. This discrepancy suggests a calculation error or misinterpretation of the genetic information provided.

e. Probability of Brown, Long Fur for First Offspring and Black, Short Fur for Second Offspring:

The probability of the first offspring having bL and the second offspring having bS is calculated by multiplying the individual probabilities, which results in (1/4) x 1 = 1/4.

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