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GCSE Biology · key term
The shape formed when the two strands of a DNA molecule wind around one another.
Used by Edexcel and OCR
Specification 3.4 · Paper 1
The coiled shape formed by DNA's two strands.
Revise: DNA StructureA DNA molecule contains two strands. These strands coil around one another to form a double helix. “Double” refers to the two strands, while “helix” describes their twisted shape.
Specification B1.2b · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher)
The shape formed when two strands wind around one another in a spiral.
For a complete description, include both the number of strands and their three-dimensional shape: DNA consists of two strands forming a double helix.
State both levels of structure: DNA is a polymer of nucleotide monomers, and a DNA molecule has two strands wound into a double helix.
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Each DNA molecule consists of two long strands. These strands wind around one another, producing a spiral shape called a double helix. “Double” tells us that there are two strands, while “helix” describes the coiled shape.
Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher), Paper 4 (Higher)
Revise: DNA StructureThe two joined strands twist around the same central line. This three-dimensional shape is called a double helix: double because there are two strands, and helix because the strands wind around one another.