Surface area:Volume - the basic principles and applying knowledge

A resource aimed at biology students studying surface area: volume ratio. This worksheet discusses the nature of surface area:volume ratio and why it is important in terms of gas and heat exchange in living organisms. The first worksheet covers basic principles of calculating surface area and volume of cubes of varying sizes, followed by calculation of surface area:volume ratio. Unlike many textbook resources, this worksheet emphasises the fact that surface area is linked to the ABILITY to exchange whereas volume is linked to the NEED to exchange.

The second worksheet considers how this principle is applied to adaptations for heat exchange in different species of fox and finally how metabolic rate is influenced by the size of an organism and its ability to exchange heat with the surroundings.

Key words: Surface area, volume, ratio, exchange, cube, heat, gas, metabolism, fox, ears