Enter the number of mutations and the number of cells per culture into the Mutation Rate Calculator. The calculator will evaluate the Mutation Rate. 

Mutation Rate Formula

The following two example problems outline the steps and information needed to calculate the Mutation Rate.

MR = m/N
  • Where MR is the Mutation Rate (mutations per cell)
  • m is the number of mutations 
  • N is the number of cells per culture 

To calculate the mutation rate, divide the number of mutations by the number of cells per culture.

How to Calculate Mutation Rate?

The following example problems outline how to calculate Mutation Rate.

Example Problem #1:

  1. First, determine the number of mutations.
    • The number of mutations is given as: 100.
  2. Next, determine the number of cells per culture.
    • The number of cells per culture is provided as: 6,000.
  3. Finally, calculate the Mutation Rate using the equation above: 

MR = m/N

The values provided above are inserted into the equation below and computed.

MR = 100/6,000 = .0166 (mutations per cell)


Example Problem #2: 

For this problem, the variables required are provided below:

number of mutations = 500

number of cells per culture = 1,500

Test your knowledge using the equation and check your answer with the calculator..

MR = m/N = ?