What are the stages of Mitosis and how do I remember what happens in each of them?

The easiest way of remembering the stages of Mitosis (which is when a divides) is by using a mnemonic that will help you remember, with a one word description of each phase to help you remember what happens in that phase. The phrase I use to remember is PMAT, with the stages of mitosis as Prophase (supercoiling), Metaphase (alignment), Anaphase (poles) and Telophase (division).Being able to remember just these few words will allow you to describe in detail what happens in each stage. Before Mitosis begins, the DNA material in the cell must be copied, so that each new cell will have one identical copy each, this is called Interphase. The cell then begins Mitosis. For DNA replication, the DNA is loosely packaged, but this needs to be condensed into chromosomes in Prophase and spindles begin to form. In Metaphase the chromosomes align along the middle of the cell. In Anaphase the chromosomes break at the centromere, and are pulled to opposite poles of the cell, and in Telophase the whole cell actually divides.