Biochemistry 4th Edition by Christopher Mathews,Kensal van Holde, Dean Appling, Spencer Anthony Cahill

Exercise 6

Consider a small protein containing 101 amino acid residues. The protein will have 200 bonds about which rotation can occur. Assume that three orientations are possible about each of these bonds.
(a) Based on these assumptions, about how many random-coil conformations will be possible for this protein
(b) The estimate obtained in (a) is surely too large. Give one reason why.