A single cell gives rise to 32 cells by dividing mitotically. How many times has it undergoes mitotic divisions?

Options

A. 16
B. 8
C. 4
D. 5

Answer

To determine how many times a single cell undergoes mitotic divisions to produce 32 cells, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand the Process of Mitosis**:
- Mitosis is a type of cell division where one parent cell divides to produce two identical daughter cells.

2. **Identify the Formula**:
- The total number of cells after 'n' mitotic divisions can be calculated using the formula:
\[ \text{Total Cells} = 2^n \]
- Here, \( n \) is the number of mitotic divisions.

3. **Set Up the Equation**:
- According to the question, a single cell gives rise to 32 cells. Therefore, we can set up the equation:
\[ 2^n = 32 \]

4. **Solve for n**:
- To find \( n \), we need to express 32 as a power of 2:
- We know that \( 2^5 = 32 \).
- Thus, we can conclude that:
\[ n = 5 \]

5. **Conclusion**:
- The single cell has undergone 5 mitotic divisions to produce 32 cells.

### Final Answer:
The single cell has undergone **5 mitotic divisions**.

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