Question

question 3 of 10
in the hardy-weinberg equation shown below, p is the frequency of the
dominant allele, and q is the recessive allele.
$p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1$
what does $2pq$ represent in the equation?

a. the frequency of all the genotypes.

b. the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype

c. the frequency of the heterozygous genotype

d. the frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype

Explanation:

In the Hardy - Weinberg equation \(p^{2}+2pq + q^{2}=1\), \(p^{2}\) represents the frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype (\(AA\)), \(q^{2}\) represents the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype (\(aa\)), and \(2pq\) represents the frequency of the heterozygous genotype (\(Aa\)). Option A is incorrect because the sum of \(p^{2}\), \(2pq\), and \(q^{2}\) is the frequency of all genotypes. Option B is incorrect as \(q^{2}\) is the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype. Option D is incorrect as \(p^{2}\) is the frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype.

Answer:

C. The frequency of the heterozygous genotype