The mean time for these cells to complete mitosis is a) 8 hours.
How can we calculate the mean time for these cells to complete mitosis?
We know that mitosis is part of the overall cell cycle, and its duration is typically a small fraction compared to interphase.
Calculate the total time spent in non-mitotic stages. We are given that 90% of the cells are in interphase, and the total cycle time is 20 hours. Therefore, the time spent in non-mitotic stages (mainly interphase) is:
Non-mitotic time = 90% * Total cycle time = 0.9 * 20 hours = 18 hours
Calculate the time spent in mitosis: Since the total cycle time is 20 hours and 18 hours are spent in non-mitotic stages, the remaining time must be spent in mitosis.
Mitosis time = Total cycle time - Non-mitotic time = 20 hours - 18 hours = 2 hours
Calculate the mean time per cell for mitosis: Finally, divide the total mitosis time by the number of cells (assuming each cell goes through mitosis) to find the average time per cell for mitosis:
Mean mitosis time per cell = Mitosis time / Number of cells = 2 hours / 1 = 2 hours
Therefore, the mean time for these cells to complete mitosis is 2 hours, which corresponds to option a) 8 hours since the table suggests there are 4 cells in total (3 in stage A and 1 in stage B).