Onion root lab

1. What percent of cells were in interphase? 55%

2. What percent were in mitosis (total of every phase except interphase)? 44%

3. Which phase of mitosis (not interphase) takes the longest according to your data? Why do you think that is? 

Prophase would take the longest according to my data because it may take a while for the nucleus to condense and then it will take a while for the Microtubules to become attached to the kinetochores.

4. How can you recognize a cell in interphase? 

The middle of cell is a big black circle

5. How can you recognize a cell in metaphase? 

The spindle fibers are stretching out and attached to the chromosome which the chromosomes will start to form a line.

6. How might you figure out how long (in minutes and/or seconds) each phase of the cell cycle takes based on the data from these onion root cells? Explain your logic and show your calculations and results below. 

Interphase is the longest step in the cell cycle so it may take 20 minutes

Prophase and that would be the second longest step which takes 27.78% of the cell cycle and that may take 5 minutes

Metaphase should take 1 minute because there are few steps and its only 8.33%

Anaphase may take a 30 seconds because the spindle fibers would attach to the chromosomes and it is only 5.56% of the cell cycle.

Telophase is the quickest step so it should take a 10 seconds because the spindle fibers will grab the chromosomes and start to divide the cell and that its only 2.78% of the cell cycle.

7. Produce a pie chart in Create-a-Graph that shows the relative lengths of each stage of the cell cycle in these cells including interphase and each stage of mitosis.