It is packed loosely and is thin and wispy if seen with the aid of a compound microscope. Individual chromosomes can be seen as dark rods under a microscope. Chromosomes are often drawn as large X's.
Chromosomes have two chromatids.
Human cells normally have 23 types of chromosomes. However, each cell normally has 2 copies of each chromosome, so humans have 46 chromosomes. Copies of the same chromosome are said to be homologous. Chromatids are often drawn as sideways V's. Prophase -the first stage of mitosis.