a biologist prepared a strip of agar (a gelatin- like substance) as shown in the figure below. at position 7, he placed a concentrated sample of amino acid A and at position 1, a concentrated sample of enzyme E. E is known to catalyze the conversion of A to a product P. Assume that A and E can diffuse through agar and that smaller molecules can diffuse much more rapidly than larger molecules. At what position would you most likely first find P?

Question

a biologist prepared a strip of agar (a gelatin- like substance) as shown in the figure below. at position 7, he placed a concentrated sample of amino acid A and at position 1, a concentrated sample of enzyme E. E is known to catalyze the conversion of A to a product P. Assume that A and E can diffuse through agar and that smaller molecules can diffuse much more rapidly than larger molecules. At what position would you most likely first find P?

A. 8, B. 7, C.2, D. 4, or E. 5

Answer 1

Based on the principle that smaller molecules can diffuse much more rapidly than larger molecules, we can conclude that the product P, which is the result of the conversion of amino acid A by enzyme E, is smaller than both A and E.

Since A and E were placed at positions 7 and 1 respectively, we can expect A to diffuse towards E before being converted to P. Therefore, the conversion of A to P is likely to occur closer to the initial location of A (position 7).

Based on this reasoning, the most likely position to find P would be position 8, as it is closer to the initial location of A (position 7) and further away from the initial location of E (position 1).

Hence, the correct answer is A. 8

Answer 2

To determine at which position you would most likely first find product P, we need to understand the process of diffusion and how it relates to the scenario described.

Diffusion is the process by which molecules spread out from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. In this case, since the smaller molecules can diffuse more rapidly than larger molecules, we can infer that the product P, being smaller than enzyme E and amino acid A, will diffuse more rapidly through the agar.

Given that amino acid A is initially placed at position 7 and enzyme E is placed at position 1, and E catalyzes the conversion of A to P, we can expect that as A diffuses, it will encounter enzyme E and subsequently be converted to P.

Since smaller molecules diffuse more quickly, it is reasonable to assume that P will initially form closer to the position of the enzyme E. Therefore, the most likely position to first find P would be position 1.

In conclusion, the answer is C.2.