Real-Life Math
You're a genetic technologist who works in the field of cytogenetics. That means you spend your day at the microscope examining chromosomes, which are very small threads of genetic material inside a cell.
You use math to conduct your tests and experiments. "On the cytogenetics side, you need to be able to count to 46. But in general, you need to use less math skills than in molecular genetics," says Fred Bauder. He is a genetic technologist.
Genetic technologists working in DNA and molecular technology, where they're looking at chromosomes at a gene level, use more math on the job.
"Certain calculations are made in the lab for solution preparations and to produce the right proportions," says Bauder. "Math skills are very important skills on this side of the job."
As a genetic technologist, you work with very small sizes of matter, often measured in nanometers rather than centimeters and meters. To make the measurements written below more manageable, convert these cell sizes from meters to nanometers. Remember: 1 nanometer = 1 meter x 10-9
If a virus is 0.00000003 meters, how many nanometers is it?
If a plant cell is 0.00001 meters, how many nanometers is it?