Chapter 2 Science &
ACTIVITY - Surface Area to Volume Ratio
Name:
Date:
Block:
Think of a cell as a cube. We are going to look at how the size of the cell affects its
efficiency. In this case, efficiency means how good the cell is at absorbing nutrients and
eliminating wastes through its cell membrane.
Surface Area (SA) of a cube = 6 x side length x side length
Volume = side length x side length x side length
Cube
Side length Surface Area
(cm)
(cm)
Volume
(cm)
SA:Volume Efficiency
Ratio of Cell
1
1
6 x 1 x 16
1 x 1 x 1 = 1
6:1
6-1.6
2
2
3
3
4
4
Questions:
1. Which cube had a larger surface area to volume ratio, cube 1 or cube 4?
2. Which cube has the greatest surface area to volume ratio (the best efficiency)?
3. What type of cell, smaller or larger, would have a higher surface area to volume
ratio and therefore better efficiency?
4. Nine small cells have the same volume (take up the same amount of space) as a
certain large cell. Which has more cell membrane for nutrients and wastes to pass:
the one large cell or the nine smaller cells?