binary fission

• Binary vision


  The process by which prokaryotic organisms like bacteria divide and reproduce
• Binary fission


  1. How binary vision works

  2. Bacterial cell grows in size

  3. Replicates genetic material (large circular DNA strand and plasmids)

  4. Two large circular DNA strands move to either side of the cell

  5. Plasmids arranged randomly

  6. New cell wall grows down the middle

  7. Two new bacterial cells formed
• Binary fission is not the same as mitosis or meiosis, which happen in eukaryotic cells
• Bacterial cell


  • Cell wall
  • Cell membrane
  • Cytoplasm
  • Large circular DNA strand
  • Plasmids (smaller circular DNA)
• Some bacteria


  • Have a flagellum (tail to move around)
• Binary fission


  A type of asexual reproduction for single-celled organisms
• Bacterial populations can grow very quickly through binary fission
• Optimal conditions for bacterial growth

  Warm, moist, plenty of nutrients
• Calculating bacterial population growth

  1. Divide total time by mean division time to get number of division cycles

  2. Multiply initial population by 2 raised to the power of number of division cycles
• Bacterial population growth calculations

  • 3 hours, 30 minute division time -> 6 division cycles, 64 cells
  • 4 hours, 20 minute division time, 1000 initial cells -> 12 division cycles, 4,096,000 cells
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