If two samples of DNA are different concentrations and I was to add them, I do need to divide by the total volume, right?
Yes, when adding two samples of DNA with different concentrations, you would need to consider the total volume in order to accurately determine the resulting concentration. To do this, you would need to calculate the total amount of DNA in each sample, and then add those amounts together.
Here is a step-by-step explanation of how to calculate the resulting concentration:
1. Determine the concentration of each DNA sample. This can typically be expressed as the amount of DNA per unit volume (e.g., ng/µL or µg/mL).
2. Multiply the concentration of each sample by its corresponding volume to calculate the total amount of DNA in each sample. For example, if you have Sample A with a concentration of 100 ng/µL and a volume of 10 µL, the total amount of DNA in Sample A would be 100 ng/µL x 10 µL = 1000 ng.
3. Add the total amounts of DNA from both samples together to obtain the total amount of DNA in the resulting mixture.
4. Determine the total volume of the resulting mixture by adding the volumes of both samples together.
5. Divide the total amount of DNA by the total volume of the mixture to obtain the resulting concentration. For example, if the total amount of DNA in the mixture is 1500 ng and the total volume is 20 µL, the resulting concentration would be 1500 ng / 20 µL = 75 ng/µL.
By taking into account both the amount of DNA and the volume of each sample, you can accurately determine the resulting concentration after combining the two samples.