OneLetterLottery · a mode
CodonCall
A ribosome reads a gene three letters at a time. Each three-letter codon stands for one amino acid, and three of the 64 mean stop. Here the ribosome is the caller: mark the amino acid each codon calls, and finish a line before a stop ends the round.
Toy model A simplified picture to show one idea. Not a measurement, and not a prediction. Of translation: random codons, every one equally likely, where a real gene uses some codons far more than others.
Pick a card first: which one finishes a line sooner?
Guessing alone gets this right about 1 time in 3.
Play a round on your card
Press Call.
The codon table
UUU Phe UUC Phe UUA Leu UUG Leu | UCU Ser UCC Ser UCA Ser UCG Ser | UAU Tyr UAC Tyr UAA stop UAG stop | UGU Cys UGC Cys UGA stop UGG Trp |
CUU Leu CUC Leu CUA Leu CUG Leu | CCU Pro CCC Pro CCA Pro CCG Pro | CAU His CAC His CAA Gln CAG Gln | CGU Arg CGC Arg CGA Arg CGG Arg |
AUU Ile AUC Ile AUA Ile AUG Met | ACU Thr ACC Thr ACA Thr ACG Thr | AAU Asn AAC Asn AAA Lys AAG Lys | AGU Ser AGC Ser AGA Arg AGG Arg |
GUU Val GUC Val GUA Val GUG Val | GCU Ala GCC Ala GCA Ala GCG Ala | GAU Asp GAC Asp GAA Glu GAG Glu | GGU Gly GGC Gly GGA Gly GGG Gly |
Why one card wins
The code is redundant: leucine, serine and arginine have 6 codons each; methionine and tryptophan have 1. A square for leucine fills 6 times as often as one for methionine.
- Card A (many-codon letters on the diagonals): a line takes 15.6 calls on average, and comes before the first stop in 51% of rounds.
- Card B (one- and two-codon letters on the diagonals): a line takes 21.5 calls on average, and comes before the first stop in 41% of rounds.
- Card C (sixteen letters in a shuffled order): a line takes 23.1 calls on average, and comes before the first stop in 38% of rounds.
Three of the 64 codons are stops, so a round lasts about 21.3 calls on average. The ribosome does not care that you were one square away.
How these numbers were made: 100,000 simulated rounds per card, every codon equally likely. That is a simplification: real genes use some codons far more than others.