Name__________________________________ Period:_______

Why Cells are Small: Surface Area to Volume Ratios

Todayslabisaboutthesizeofcells.Tounderstandthis,wefirsthavetounderstandsurfaceareato
volumeratios.

Letsstartwithsurfacearea.Getaboxofsugarcubes.Thesurfaceareaofthecubeiscalculatedby
findingthearea(lengthxwidth)ofoneside.Butwewanttoknowthewholesurface.Onacube,there
are6sides,sowemultiplythatareax6.So

Surfaceareaofacube=lengthxwidthx6

Volumeisanothersimplecalculationwejustmultiplylengthxwidthxheight.Buildthefollowingfour
structuresfromyoursugarcubes,andfilloutthetablebelow.

A B C D

1UNIT 2UNITS 3 4UNITS

ORCM UNITS

Figure Totalnumber
ofCubes
Surfaceareaof
figure
(=6xlengthx
width)
Volumeof
figure
(=lengthx
widthxheight)
Surfaceareato
VolumeRatio
SA/V
Totalsurface
ofindividual
cubes
A

SurfaceAreatoVolumeLabQuestions

1.Whathappenedtothesurfaceareaasthesizeincreased?

2.Whathappenedtothevolumeasthesizeincreased?

3.Whathappenedtothesurfaceareatovolumeratioasthesizeincreased?

4.Nowimagineyourelookingataverylargecell.Nexttoitisaverysmallcell.Whichonehasalarger
surfaceareatovolumeratio?

SurfaceAreatoVolumeLabPartII:HotPotatoInquiry

Nowyouaregoingtoapplywhatyoujustlearnedaboutsurfaceareatovolumeratios.Yourjob
istofigureouthowthiswholethingappliestobiology.

Thecellsyouvelookedatinbiologyhaveallbeenwiththeuseofamicroscope:theyve
allbeenvery,verysmall.Butsomecellsarenottheyaremuchbigger,andyoucan
evenseethemwithoutanyhelpfrommagnifyingglassesoranythingforexample,a
chickenegg.Thatsallonecell!Whatisthelargestcell?Itsdisputed,butsomesayitis
theostrichegg.Othergigantoidcellsincludethenervecellofthegiantsquid(overameterlong!)and
somealgaewhichhavelargecells.Butmostcellsaretiny.

Why?

Youvelearnedaboutosmosisanddiffusion.Thisishowcellsgetalmosteverythingtheyneed:
nutrients,ions,water,etc,andhowtheygetridofwastes.Willdiffusionandosmosisbeenoughto
supportjustanycell?

Questions
1.Doyouthinklargecellsandsmallcellscarryoutdiffusionandosmosisatthesamerate?Whyorwhy
not?

2.Ifacellhasahighconcentrationofsomething,say,waste,thatitwantstogetridof,whichdoyou
predictwillbeabletogetridofthewastesoonerasmallercelloralargeone?

Now,designanexperimenttotestyourhypothesisfromquestion#2.

Wehavelargeandsmallpotatoestomodelcells.Theyarehot.Justlikeincellularprocesses,heat
diffusesoutofareasofhighconcentrationtoareasoflowconcentration,whichmakesitagreat
demonstrationfortestingquestionslikethis,sincecellsareveryhardtoworkwith.

Wewillapplythehypothesisfromquestiontwotothepotatoes.Ifyouhavealargehotpotatoanda
smallhotpotato,andtwothermometers(andusinganythingelsearoundtheroomyoucanthinkofif
youwant),howcanyoutestyourhypothesisthatonepotato(whicheveryoupredictedabove)willlose
heatfasterthantheother?Whatwillyoumeasureandhowwillyoumeasureit?Describeyour
experimentbrieflybelow,using12completesentences.

Onceyouhavecomeupwithanexperiment,bringyourpapertoMs.KaiserorMrs.RubinGreento
approveyourexperimentandtogetyourtwohotpotatoesandbegin.

Data
Graphyourdatabelow.Makesuretolabelyourxandyaxis.Useadifferentcolorlineforyour
differentpotatoes.

Questions
3.Whichpotatocooledofffaster?

4.Ifthepotatowasacell,andtheheatwaswastethecellwastryingtogetridof,whichcelldoyou
thinkwouldhaveanadvantage?

5.Howmightsurfaceareatovolumeratioshelpdecidethesizeofcells?

6.Basedonwhatyouhavelearnedtoday,inwhatwaymaymulticellularorganismshaveanadvantage
oversinglecelledones?

7.Consideramouseandanelephant.Ifbothwereleftinthecoldovernight,whichwouldbeinmore
dangeroffreezingtodeath?Why?