Surface area to volume ratio
What Surface area to volume ratio means in Biology A-Level, as defined for OCR.
Definitions of Surface area to volume ratio
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Reference: OCR
As an organism becomes larger, its volume increases faster than its surface area, so this ratio falls.
Varied by cutting cubes of different side length; a larger ratio increases the rate of diffusion.
Topics that use Surface area to volume ratio
- Biological membranes (OCR A-Level)
- Exchange surfaces (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- Adaptations of exchange surfaces
- Airway structure and support
- Alveolar and capillary adaptations for diffusion
- Antagonistic muscle action
- Cell signalling and receptors
- Cholesterol
- Cholesterol and fatty-acid saturation
- Compartmentalisation within cells
Using Surface area to volume ratio in the exam
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