Surface-area-to-volume ratios indicate
A) cells must exceed a certain minimum size.
B) as cells get larger, their surface area actually decreases.
C) largest cells have less proportionate need for food intake and waste removal.
D) a chicken egg is one cell thus demonstrating the upper limit for metabolizing cell size.
E) as cells get larger, their surface area gets larger but at a slower rate than the volume increases.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

As a cell increases in size, the volume increases by the cube of the sides, while the surface area increases by the square of the sides. Therefore, the surface area increases but at a slower rate than the volume increases. There is no minimum cell size and large cells still need surface area for food intake and waste removal. A chicken egg is one cell, but it is not actively metabolizing. It divides into many smaller cells before it begins to metabolize.

Surface-Area-To-Volume Ratios Indicate