Surface area to volume ratio example?

Answer 1

How does the surface-to-volume ratio change each time you cut the value of "s" in half?

4mm 96mm2 64mm3 1.5 to 1

2.0mm 24mm2 8mm3 3 to 1

1.0mm 6mm2 1mm3 6 to 1

0.50mm 1.5mm2 .125mm3 12 to 1

0.25mm .375mm2 .016mm3 24 to 1

Answer 2

Surface area and volume are two different things. Surface area is the outer area of a shape whereas volume is the amount inside a shape. For example: if you wanted to paint a shape, that would be surface area. If you wanted to fill a box with cm cubes, that would be volume.

If you want to work out the surface area of a cube, you would say:

Length x width x 6(because there are 6 sides)

If you wanted to work out the volume of a cube, you would say:

Length x width x height

Answer 3

An example of surface area to volume ratio can be seen in cells. As cells grow larger, their volume increases at a faster rate than their surface area. This can lead to limitations in nutrient or waste exchange, as the surface area may not be sufficient to support the volume of the cell. This is why cells tend to have a small size to maintain an efficient surface area to volume ratio for necessary exchanges.