PCR is a cyclic process that is used to amplify the DNA fragments. During the amplification, number of cycles is generally kept between 30 - 40 cycles. How many number of DNA strands will be produced if the number of cycles were kept 10 ?

Options

A. 512
B. 20
C. 256
D. 1024

Answer

To solve the problem of how many DNA strands will be produced after 10 cycles of PCR, we can use the following steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand the Basics of PCR**:
- PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is a technique used to amplify DNA. In each cycle of PCR, the amount of DNA is approximately doubled.

2. **Initial DNA Strand**:
- We start with 1 single DNA strand.

3. **Doubling in Each Cycle**:
- In the first cycle, the number of DNA strands doubles from 1 to 2.
- In the second cycle, it doubles again from 2 to 4.
- This doubling continues for each subsequent cycle.

4. **Formula for Calculation**:
- The number of DNA strands after \( n \) cycles can be calculated using the formula:
\[ \text{Number of DNA strands} = 2^n \]
- Where \( n \) is the number of cycles.

5. **Calculate for 10 Cycles**:
- Substitute \( n = 10 \) into the formula:
\[ \text{Number of DNA strands} = 2^{10} \]

6. **Perform the Calculation**:
- Calculate \( 2^{10} \):
\[ 2^{10} = 1024 \]

7. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, after 10 cycles of PCR, the total number of DNA strands produced will be **1024**.

### Final Answer:
The number of DNA strands produced after 10 cycles of PCR is **1024**.

---