The probability that two heterozygous parents for widows peak will have a child with a straight hairline is ____ percent.
draw the Punnett square
one chance in 4
To determine the probability that two heterozygous parents for a widows peak will have a child with a straight hairline, we need to consider the genetic inheritance pattern.
In this case, let's assume that the allele for widows peak (W) is dominant over the allele for a straight hairline (w). Heterozygous individuals have one dominant allele and one recessive allele.
The possible genotypes of the parents are as follows:
Parent 1: Ww
Parent 2: Ww
To find the probability of having a child with a straight hairline, we need to examine the possible combinations of alleles that the parents can pass on to their offspring.
When the parents reproduce, they can each pass on either their dominant allele (W) or their recessive allele (w). Using a Punnett square, we can determine the possible genotypes of the offspring:
| W | w |
------------------
W | WW | Ww |
------------------
w | Ww | ww |
From the Punnett square, we can see that there are four possible outcomes for the offspring:
1. WW: This genotype represents a child with a widows peak.
2. Ww: This genotype represents a child with a widows peak.
3. Ww: This genotype represents a child with a widows peak.
4. ww: This genotype represents a child with a straight hairline.
Out of the four possible outcomes, only one represents a child with a straight hairline (ww).
Therefore, the probability that two heterozygous parents for a widows peak will have a child with a straight hairline is 1 out of 4, or 1/4, which is equal to 25% (since 1/4 is equivalent to 0.25 when expressed as a percentage).