Gel Electrophoresis

Gel Electrophoresis Definition

Gel electrophoresis explained in an easy to understand way:

Gel Electrophoresis Simple Definition

Imagine trying to sort different lengths of spaghetti noodles after a messy kitchen accident. Just like placing the noodles on a sloped surface allows gravity to pull the longer noodles further down than the shorter ones, gel electrophoresis uses an electric current to pull DNA strands through a gel, with shorter strands moving faster and further than longer ones. In this analogy, the sloped surface is like the gel, the gravity is comparable to the electric current, and the different lengths of spaghetti represent the varied sizes of DNA strands being separated.

Practice Version

Gel Electrophoresis Definition

Gel Electrophoresis: A method of separating DNA strands, by applying an electric current to a gel. Gel electrophoresis. It is a process that uses electricity to sort DNA fragments by size as they move through a gel.