Final answer:
Using the codon table, the first nucleic acid is found in the left column, the second in the top row, and the third in the right column to determine the corresponding amino acid for a given mRNA codon.
Step-by-step explanation:
When using the codon table, the first nucleic acid is represented by the left column, the second by the top row, and the third by the right column. The codon table is used to determine which amino acid corresponds to a given codon in an mRNA sequence during the process of translation.
A codon consists of three nucleotides and matches an amino acid according to the genetic code. For example, the mRNA codon CUG would be read by finding the first nucleotide 'C' in the left column, then the second nucleotide 'U' in the top row, and finally the third nucleotide 'G' in the right column, leading to the amino acid leucine (Leu).