AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -When the cell increases in size, the volume increases faster than the surface area, because the volume is cubed where surface area is squared.

Detailed explanation-2: -As the radius of a cell increases, its surface area increases as the square of its radius, but its volume increases as the cube of its radius (much more rapidly). Therefore, as a cell increases in size, its surface area-to-volume ratio decreases.

Detailed explanation-3: -As a cell grows bigger, the internal volume increases and thereby expands the cell membrane. In turn, the volume increases more rapidly than does the surface area. Thus, the relative amount of surface area available to pass materials to a unit volume of the cell decreases.

Detailed explanation-4: -The correct answer is (a) faster than. As cells increase in size, their surface area-to-volume ratio decreases, meaning that their volume is increasing at a faster rate than their surface area.

Detailed explanation-5: -As the volume of a cell increases, it becomes harder to efficiently transport materials in and out of the cell. A cell with a greater surface area to volume ratio has more plasma membrane to transport these substances relative to the volume of the cell.