- What fraction of an E coli cell is occupied by its DNA?

How would I find the fraction?
If I knew the volume of an E coli cell, would I divide that by the volume of DNA in an E coli cell?

- A human cell is typically spherical with a diameter of 20 micrometers. Calculate the volume of a human cell in cm ^3.

I don't understand how you can calculate the volume without the length of the human cell. I tried looking it up, but I get varied answers since cells vary in size.

1 answer

Yes to your first question. fraction = volume DNA/volume E coli cell.

To your second question, why do you need a length. Spheres don't have a length, do they? The volume of a sphere is (4/3)*pi*r^3