Final answer:
The frequency of the dominant allele (p) in a population of hamsters, where 10 are homozygous dominant, 5 are heterozygous, and 15 are homozygous recessive, is calculated as 0.42. This calculation is based on the Hardy-Weinberg principle which states that allele frequencies remain constant in the absence of evolutionary influences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question about population genetics can be solved using the Hardy-Weinberg principle. This principle states that the allele frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of other evolutionary influences. In this case, allele A is dominant, and allele a is recessive.
To calculate the allele frequency of the dominant allele A (p), we count the total number of A alleles in the population and divide by the total number of alleles. Given that there are 10 individuals that are homozygous dominant (AA), 5 that are heterozygous (Aa), and 15 that are homozygous recessive (aa), we can calculate p as follows:
The closest answer to 0.4167 from the provided options is 0.42 (answer d). Hence, the frequency of the dominant allele (p) in the population is approximately 0.42.