1. What is a Punnett Square?

A Punnett square is a diagram that is used to predict the genotype and phenotype combinations of offspring from parental alleles. The 2×2 matrix shows all possible combinations of maternal and paternal alleles.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Punnett square formula:

Where:

• \( P \) — Probability of target genotype
• \( F \) — Number of favorable outcomes in the 2×2 matrix
• 4 — Total possible combinations in 2×2 Punnett square

Explanation: The calculator generates all possible allele combinations from two parents and calculates the probability of a specific genotype appearing in their offspring.

3. Importance of Punnett Squares

Details: Punnett squares are fundamental tools in genetics for predicting inheritance patterns, understanding dominant/recessive relationships, and calculating probabilities of genetic outcomes.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter exactly 2 alleles for each parent genotype (e.g., "Aa"). The target genotype should also be 2 alleles. Case doesn't matter as inputs are converted to uppercase.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between genotype and phenotype?
A: Genotype refers to the genetic makeup (e.g., Aa), while phenotype refers to the physical expression (e.g., brown eyes).

Q2: How do I represent dominant and recessive alleles?
A: By convention, dominant alleles are uppercase (A) and recessive are lowercase (a).

Q3: What if I get a probability of 25%?
A: This means 1 out of 4 possible combinations matches your target genotype.

Q4: Can this calculator handle incomplete dominance?
A: No, this basic calculator assumes complete dominance/recessiveness.

Q5: What about dihybrid crosses?
A: This calculator is for monohybrid crosses only (2×2 matrix).