Why do some cells, like gametes, divide differently than other cells in the human body? what is the purpose?

Gametes undergo a process called meiosis. Meiosis is the process of cell division wherein the parent cell divides its chromosomes into two sets and gives rise to germ cells.

Gametes (sex cells) have half the amount of chromosomes as a normal bodily cell and therefore have to undergo an extra cell division. Whereas mitosis (normal cells) only has one cell division, creating diploid cells (46 chromosomes), MEIOSIS has two cell divisions, creating haploid cells (23 chromosomes). This is because when two gametes join together, they have to have a total of 46 chromosomes, meaning they have to have 23 (half) each, instead of the full 46

most community's take hundreds of years to become stable