Draw to scale the outline of two spherical cells, one a bacterium with a diameter of 1
Question:
Draw to scale the outline of two spherical cells, one a bacterium with a diameter of 1 μm, the other an animal cell with a diameter of 15 μm. Calculate the volume, surface area, and surface-to-volume ratio for each cell. How would the latter ratio change if you included the internal membranes of the animal cell in the calculation of surface area (assume internal membranes have 15 times the area of the plasma membrane)? (The volume of a sphere is given by 4πr3/3 and its surface by 4πr2, where r is its radius.) Discuss the following hypothesis: “Internal membranes allowed bigger cells to evolve.”
Step by Step Answer:
Essential Cell Biology
ISBN: 9780393680362
5th Edition
Authors: Bruce Alberts, Karen Hopkin, Alexander Johnson, David Morgan, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts, Peter Walter