CELL STRUCTURES AND FUNCTION
CELL STRUCTURE
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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It increases
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it decreases
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it remains the same
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it is not affected by cell size
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Detailed explanation-1: -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-2: -Cell growth causes the surface area to volume ratio to decrease. This is because, as a cell grows, the volume of the cell (its internal contents) increases faster than its surface area (its cell membrane).
Detailed explanation-3: -As cells grow larger, the ratio of surface area to volume decreases dramatically, just like in your agar cubes. Larger cells must still transport materials across their membranes, but have a larger volume to supply and a proportionately smaller surface area through which to do so.