Question

Cell Y has a surface area of 40μm^2 and a volume of 8μm^3. Cell Z has a surface area of 72μm^2 and a volume of 12μm^3. What is the SA: V ratio of the cell that will exchange materials with its environment at the fastest rate of diffusion?

Answer 1

Cell Z, with a surface area-to-volume ratio of 6:1, will exchange materials with the environment faster than Cell Y, which has a surface area-to-volume ratio of 5:1.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is about determining which of two cells exchanges materials with its environment at a faster rate through diffusion, based on the surface area-to-volume ratio (SA:V ratio). For Cell Y with a surface area of 40μm2 and a volume of 8μm3, the SA:V ratio is 5:1. For Cell Z with a surface area of 72μm2 and a volume of 12μm3, the SA:V ratio is 6:1. Since a higher SA:V ratio corresponds to more efficient diffusion, Cell Z would exchange materials more efficiently with its environment than Cell Y.