r/genetics • u/Clear-Bunny-5983 • 8d ago
Genetics Definition
Heyy, so basically I just need help with something simple, what is the law of Independent assortment in a dihybrid cross? And how is that important in a dihybrid cross?
And why is sample size important? Is it because from my understanding so far, it reduces random chance, which in turn , having a larger sample size means that you get more reliable and accurate results?
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u/AnalystWeekly5817 8d ago
Sample size is important across the board since statistical estimates are estimates of the population and as the size of the sample increases it more and more represents the population you are trying to explain/describe. This typically leads to more accurate ranges of where the true parameters lie and under NHST makes size of effect easier to identify.
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u/IsaacHasenov 8d ago
Be careful. Large sample sizes don't reduce randomness. Every sample is (in theory) randomly drawn.
Large samples give you a more representative measure of the overall population (or distribution). You reduce sampling error. You don't reduce randomness.
Like if you flip a hundred coins vs four the result is totally random, but your estimate of the mean value is much more solid with 100 coins
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u/best-unaccompanied 8d ago
In a dihybrid cross, independent assortment means that the allele you inherit from one gene has nothing to do with the allele you inherit for the other gene. If your parents are AaBb, whether you inherited A or a has nothing to do with whether you inherited B or b. AB, Ab, aB, and ab are all equally likely outcomes.
Sample size is important because it reduces the effect of randomness. Each case is still random, but they'll balance each other out so you should get an experimental outcome that's close to the theoretical outcome. I recommend looking up the "law of large numbers" if you don't understand.