==Diffusion and Cell Size== The larger a cell is, the greater the surface area available for diffusion. So why are cells so tiny? Although increasing the size of a cell would increase its surface area, it would also increase the cells volume and thus its demand for nutrients etc. In fact, increasing the size of the cell has a much greater effect on the cells volume than it does on its surface area. If a cell is too large, nutrients simply aren’t able to diffuse through the entire volume of the cell quickly enough. [image:http://i.imgur.com/GEc2npD.png?1] Materials must be able to reach all parts of a cell quickly, and when volume is too large relative to surface area, diffusion cannot occur at sufficiently high rates to ensure this. Smaller cells have a much greater surface area to volume ratio allowing material to diffuse throughout the entire volume of the cell quickly and efficiently. ==Surface Area : Volume== Surface area to volume ratio can also be used to explain the shape of many cells / cellular surfaces. For example the folds inside the mitochondria or the flat pan-cake like structures inside chloroplasts provide a greater surface area on which specific reactions can occur. The folds in the lining of our stomachs or the tiny cellular, finger-like projections that protrude from the wall of the intestine (villi) all act to increase the surface area without increasing the overall size or volume of the organ.
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For example, the surface area and volume of a cell affect how efficiently waste is removed from the cell via diffusion.
Humans are made up of many types of cells, and these cells have a broad range of sizes. Using the Formula for the Surface Area of a Sphere: Assuming both cell types are perfectly spherical, how many times larger is the surface area of a fibroblast compared to the surface area of a neutrophil?
Finally, let’s calculate how many times larger the surface area of a fibroblast is compared to the surface area of a neutrophil by dividing the two values: So, a fibroblast has 4 times more surface area than a neutrophil. Because the orange dye permeated the agar cube equally on all sides, the inner, unpenetrated portion of the agar cube is also cube-shaped.To find the volume of this inner cube, we first need to calculate its side length. To do so, let's subtract the permeation distance of the orange dye 1.5mm on each side from the total side length of the agar cube 12mm. Next, using the side length we calculated, we can find the volume of the inner cube. Because all sides of a cube have the same length, we know that the length, width, and height of the inner cube are all 9mm. Using the formula for volume of a rectangular solid, which is... V Cell Y has a surface area 240μm squared, and a volume of 8μm cubed. Cell Z has a surface area of 72μm squared and a volume of 12μm cubed. Using the information above, determine the surface-area-to-volume ratio of each cell. What is the SA:V ratio of the cell that will exchange materials with its environment at the fastest rate of diffusion?
An oocyte is an immature reproductive cell found in many sexually reproducing organisms. A crawfish oocyte has a radius of approximately 1mm, while a human oocyte is much smaller and has a radius of about 0.05mm.
Assuming both cell types are perfectly spherical, how many times larger is the surface area of a crawfish oocyte compared to the surface area of a human oocyte?
Finally, let’s calculate how many times larger the surface area of a crawfish oocyte is compared to the surface area of a human oocyte by dividing the two values:
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