Multiple Choice
In the context of the properties of the cell, what is the primary structural polysaccharide found in most fungal cell walls?
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1. Overview of Cell Biology
Properties of the Cell
Multiple Choice
In general, what is the approximate mass of a typical bacterial cell (e.g., Escherichia coli)?
A
Approximately g (about 1 femtogram)
B
Approximately g (about 1 nanogram)
C
Approximately g (about 1 gram)
D
Approximately g (about 1 picogram)
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand that the problem asks for the approximate mass of a typical bacterial cell, such as Escherichia coli, which is a common model organism in microbiology.
Recall that bacterial cells are very small, typically on the order of a few micrometers in length, and their mass is correspondingly tiny compared to larger cells or organisms.
Recognize the units involved: grams (g) and their subunits such as picograms (pg), femtograms (fg), and nanograms (ng). These units represent different scales of mass, where 1 picogram = 10^{-12} grams, 1 femtogram = 10^{-15} grams, and 1 nanogram = 10^{-9} grams.
Use known biological data or literature values that estimate the mass of a single Escherichia coli cell to be approximately 1 picogram, which is \(1 \times 10^{-12}\) grams.
Compare the given options with this known value to identify that the correct approximate mass is about \(1 \times 10^{-12}\) grams (1 picogram), reflecting the typical mass of a bacterial cell.
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