Contrast meiosis with mitosis, mentioning homologous chromosomes, chromatids, tetrads and crossing over.

Explanation:

Mitosis takes place in somatic cells of the body while the meiosis takes place in the germ cells. The mitosis is the equational division while the meiosis is reductional division.  

The meiosis has 2 cell divisions i.e. meiosis I and meiosis II. The mitosis is a single division.

The pairing between the homologous chromosome/synapsis occurs in meiosis. It is not found in mitosis.  

During the pachytene stage of meiosis, crossing over takes place. The homologous chromosome exchanges its genetic materials in crossing over.

In mitotic cell division, the chromatids do not exchange their genetic material.

The chromosome numbers are always the same as the parent cell in the mitotic division. In meiosis, the number of the chromosome turns to half of their parent cells.

There are 4 haploid chromosomes/tetrads forms at the end of meiosis. In meiotic division 2 chromosomes form from the parent cells.