How many generations are required by a cell of meristem to produce 256 cells ?
(a) 255
(b) 64
(c) 128
(d) 8

Options

A. 255
B. 64
C. 128
D. 8

Answer

To determine how many generations are required by a cell of meristem to produce 256 cells, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Cell Division**: Each time a cell divides, it doubles the number of cells. This means that after each generation (or division), the number of cells can be represented as powers of 2.

2. **Initial Cell Count**: Start with 1 cell (the original meristem cell).

3. **Calculating the Number of Cells After Each Division**:
- After 1st division: \(2^1 = 2\) cells
- After 2nd division: \(2^2 = 4\) cells
- After 3rd division: \(2^3 = 8\) cells
- After 4th division: \(2^4 = 16\) cells
- After 5th division: \(2^5 = 32\) cells
- After 6th division: \(2^6 = 64\) cells
- After 7th division: \(2^7 = 128\) cells
- After 8th division: \(2^8 = 256\) cells

4. **Counting the Generations**: From the calculations above, we see that it takes 8 divisions to reach 256 cells.

5. **Conclusion**: Therefore, the number of generations required by a cell of meristem to produce 256 cells is **8**.

### Final Answer:
The answer is (d) 8.

---