Final answer:
A female scorpion's egg cells have half as many chromosomes as her diploid somatic cells due to the process of meiosis that produces haploid gametes.
Step-by-step explanation:
When comparing the number of chromosomes in a female scorpion's egg cells to the number in her somatic cells, it is important to understand the process of meiosis, which produces gametes. Somatic cells are diploid, meaning they contain two sets of chromosomes, while egg cells, as gametes, are haploid and have only one set of chromosomes. Therefore, there are half as many chromosomes in egg cells as there are in somatic cells, due to the reductional division during meiosis. In most scorpions, which are part of the arachnid family, this same rule applies, despite the fact that they give birth to live young.