Tag: then a force of 1.5 nN (1.5 x 10-9 N) pulls on the other end

Experiments using “optical tweezers” measure the elasticity of individual DNA molecules. For small enough changes in length, the elasticity has the same form as that of a spring. A DNA molecule is anchored at one end, then a force of 1.5 nN (1.5 x 10-9 N) pulls on the other end, causing the molecule to stretch by 5.0…