X-X or X-Y (Brilliant Biology Experiments)

You will need:

1. Marker
2. 2 paper cups
3. 1 red marble
4. 3 green marbles
5. Pen and paper

Find out how the law of averages plays an important
role in determining the gender of a person.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Write ‘Ova’ on one cup and ‘Sperm’ on the other cup.
2. Place 2 green marbles inside the cup labelled ‘Ova’, and 1 green and 1 red marble inside the cup labelled ‘Sperm’.
3. Make a table with 2 columns on a sheet of paper.
4. Label one column ‘BOY’ (1 red+1 green) and the second column ‘GIRL’ (2 green).
5. Blindfold a friend and ask him to choose randomly one marble from each cup.
6. See the result and note it down by ticking the appropriate column on your sheet of paper.
7. Keeping your friend blindfolded, make him repeat the experiment about 30 times.
8. Each time note down whether your friend picked up boy or girl.

RESULT

With each increasing repetition in the experiment, you will be closer to having an equal number of ‘boys’ and ‘girls’. While the ova in the female have only ‘X’ chromosomes, the sperm in the male is comprised of ‘X’ and ‘Y’ chromosomes in equal parts; so when the ‘X’ chromosome from the male fertilizes the ovum, the baby is a girl and when the ‘Y’ chromosome from the male fertilizes the ovum, the baby is a boy. There is always a 50% chance of the baby being a boy or girl.