Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifies DNAfollowing the equation.

Answer

DNA Amplification in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

In a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), each cycle of amplification doubles the amount of DNA. This doubling leads to an exponential increase in DNA molecules.

Starting with 1 molecule of DNA:

• After 1 cycle → 2 molecules
• After 2 cycles → 4 molecules
• After 3 cycles → 8 molecules
• After n cycles → 2n molecules

This pattern follows the exponential formula:

Amount of DNA after n cycles = 2n

Where:
n = number of amplification cycles
2ⁿ = fold increase in DNA quantity