Question

what do the variables in the hardy-weinberg equation represent?
p
p²
q
q²
2pq
frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype
frequency of the heterozygous genotype
frequency of the recessive allele
frequency of the dominant allele
frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype

Explanation:

The Hardy - Weinberg equation is \(p^{2}+2pq + q^{2}=1\) (and \(p + q=1\)) in the context of allele and genotype frequencies in a population.

• \(p\): Represents the frequency of the dominant allele.
• \(p^{2}\): Represents the frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype (since if the frequency of the dominant allele is \(p\), the probability of getting two dominant alleles is \(p\times p=p^{2}\)).
• \(q\): Represents the frequency of the recessive allele.
• \(q^{2}\): Represents the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype (similarly, probability of two recessive alleles is \(q\times q = q^{2}\)).
• \(2pq\): Represents the frequency of the heterozygous genotype (the probability of getting one dominant and one recessive allele, and since there are two ways to get a heterozygous genotype (dominant from first parent and recessive from second, or vice - versa), it is \(2\times p\times q=2pq\)).

Answer:

• \(p\): frequency of the dominant allele
• \(p^{2}\): frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype
• \(q\): frequency of the recessive allele
• \(q^{2}\): frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype
• \(2pq\): frequency of the heterozygous genotype