The experiment is based on the transmission of a single inherited trait - the ability to taste harmless PTC (phenylthiocarbamide). The goal is for students to determine if they have this gene.They collect data by testing family members, correlating and pooling the data for the entire class, then calculating the random segregation data according to the Hardy-Weinberg Law.

Background information about the Hardy-Weinberg Law and information about calculating gene frequency and the genetics of ABO blood typing are included.