Question

1. What happens to the ratio of surface area to volume as the cell size increases without the cell changing shape?

2. What does a surface area/volume ratio of 6:1 (cm) mean for the cell’s ability to get the materials it needs that move across its surface?
3. What does a surface area/volume ratio of 3:1 (cm) mean for a cell’s ability to get materials across its membrane, compared to the cell with a ratio of 6:1 (cm) ?

Answer 1

1. the surface area to the volume ratio gets smaller as the cell gets larger. Thus, if the cell grows beyond a certain limit, not enough material will be able to cross the membrane fast enough to accommodate the increased cellular volume. 2. It depends on the unit of the ratio 6:1. If it is in cm1, then it means that it is similar to a cell of size 1 cm^3, which is normally too big to get materials from the surface. 3. a smaller cell has a better surface area to volume ratio, which means it is more efficient.