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How to Make a Punnett Square Online

Every plant, animal and person inherits two genes for each trait, one from its mother and another from its father. If only one type of gene existed for each trait, there would be no question about the genetic makeup, or genotype, of the offspring. But most species have a variety of genes, and their children can inherit any combination of them. To simplify the process of identifying the possible genotypes, scientists use a tool called the Punnett square. You can find Punnett square calculators online that can simplify this process even further by populating the square for you or allowing you to practice and refine your own skills.

Instructions

Chang Bioscience Punnett Square Calculator
- 1
  Visit the Chang Bioscience website and navigate to the Punnett square calculator.
- 2
  Click the down arrow on the "Parental Genotype I" drop-down box. Click on a genotype to select it.
- 3
  Select a genotype from the "Parental Genotype II" drop-down box.
- 4
  Click "Go" at the bottom of the screen. The calculator will generate a Punnett square based upon the genotypes you chose.
- 5
  Click the "Clear" button to start over.
McGraw-Hill Virtual Lab's Punnett Squares
- 6
  Visit the McGraw-Hill website and navigate to the Punnett square virtual lab.
- 7
  Click on the television to watch a video about Punnett squares.
- 8
  Click on the notebook to begin a Punnett square exercise.
- 9
  Read the scenario at the top of the screen. This will tell you what kind of parents to choose or what kind of offspring you want to produce.
- 10
  Click and hold the left mouse button over the down arrow below the box that says "Parent 1." Release the mouse over the parent you want to select.
- 11
  Select a second parent from the box that says "Parent 2."
- 12
  Click the "Check Parents" button. If your parents are correct, their genotypes will appear over the Punnett square. If they are incorrect, the lab will tell you to try again.
- 13
  Drag the pictures of the offspring from the bottom of the screen into the appropriate squares.
- 14
  Drag the genotypes from the bottom of the screen into the appropriate squares and drop them below the pictures of the offspring.
- 15
  Click the "Check Offspring" button. If you are correct, you will hear a chime. If you are incorrect, the lab will tell you to try again.
- 16
  Click the "Reset" button to move to a different scenario or the "Return" button to return to the virtual lab.
Silverfall Chinchilla Punnett Square Calculator
- 17
  Navigate to the Silverfall Chinchilla Punnett Square calculator.
- 18
  Enter a name for the genotype in the "Gene Name" text box. For example, "color" or "height."
- 19
  Enter the first gene into the first text box under "Animal 1." The cursor will jump to the second text box, where you can type the second gene.
- 20
  Enter the genotype for the second parent in the text boxes under "Animal 2."
- 21
  Click the "Add" button.
- 22
  Enter another gene pair, if necessary.
- 23
  Click the "Calculate" button. The calculator will generate a Punnett square and a genotype probability chart based upon the genes you entered.

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