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You're about to Divide?  Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge
Level:1   The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a technique
used to amplify the amount of DNA in a sample. During each round
of PCR, the DNA double helix is unwound and separated into two
separate strands. A new strand is then synthesised against each
of these.  How does the DNA content of a sample change with a
single round of PCR?  If there is originally 1mg of DNA in the
sample, then what mass of DNA will be present after 15 rounds of
PCR?  If my sample of 0.5ml with a DNA concentration of 0.1pM,
how many rounds of PCR until I have 10$^{12}$ molecules of DNA?
DNA synthesis in PCR is carried out by a Taq DNA polymerase.
This can build a new strand of DNA against a template one at a
rate of 6000 bases per minute.  If a piece of single stranded
DNA has 24 kbases, what is the