152k views
5 votes
Why did Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins perform their experiment? What was the purpose? (Or what was their hypothesis before the experiment?)

User Bmoran
by
7.8k points

2 Answers

2 votes

Final answer:

Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins performed their experiment to understand the structure of DNA. Franklin's X-ray diffraction images of DNA provided crucial information that allowed Watson and Crick to confirm that DNA forms a double helix.

Step-by-step explanation:

Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins performed their experiment to understand the structure of DNA. Their hypothesis was that DNA consists of two forms: a long, thin fiber formed when wet (type "B") and a short, wide fiber formed when dried (type "A"). Rosalind Franklin's X-ray diffraction images of DNA provided crucial information that allowed Francis Crick and James Watson to confirm that DNA forms a double helix.

User IRD
by
7.6k points
4 votes
Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins performed their experiment to study the structure of DNA and determine its helical nature.
User Joel Brewer
by
7.9k points
Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.