Expert: Walter Hintz - 11/9/2009

Question
Hello, You previously answered a question that I had and was able to clear up my misunderstanding. However, as I go further into the details of Mitosis and  this is even before we get to meiosis, its just getting more confusing...

In Mitosis-
-When You have finished replicating all of the DNA, how many chromosomes do you have?

-How many cells do you have?
Then, in telophase (still mitosis), how many chromosomes are present in each cell? (15,30??)
And how many pairs of chromosomes are present in each cell? (2??)

In meiosis, how many pairs of chromosomes do you have now? How many chromosomes in each cell? And how many pairs in each?

See why this can be overwhelming and confusing... If this is too much for you, (who is an expert in science), imagine for me a mom back in school with no understanding of establishing the difference between all of this.  I am trying, but its all blurring together. Every website I try has different, unreliable information, that varies according to plants, humans, etc.
Thanks so much,

Answer
Hello again Mom. Congratulations for going back to school. Replication means making exact copies so during mitosis whatever number you start out with is replicated . In Body cells (Called somatic cells) you start with 23 pair and you wind up with 23 pair.  In the Telophase of cellular division there are two daughter cells each with 23 pair..
Now meiosis results in the paired chromosomes separating and the results of meiosis are sperms and eggs each with only 23 chromosomes. When a sperm fertilizes an egg we are back to 46 (23 pair.
 Stop looking up sites on the net and if you do not have a textbook go to the library