Lesson 6: Surface Area and Volume Problem Solving

Lesson Assessment

Complete the lesson quiz posted under the Assess tab or using the Quizzes link under the Activities block. Also ensure your work in your binder (course folder) is complete. 

Project Connection: The Woodshed **NOT ASSIGNED**

Up to this point in the project, you have all been working with your own place. For this lesson, you will do a common problem. You will consider the dimensions of a woodshed.

Of course, it is still a collaborative approach—you can still work together with a partner.

Go to the Unit 1 Project and complete the Lesson 6 portion of the project.

Going Beyond

The ratio between an organism’s surface area and volume has an enormous impact on its biology. For example, a cell that is shaped like a sphere has a low surface area to volume (SA : V) ratio.

Cells that are extended (e.g., cylinder) have much more membrane per unit of cytoplasm, which means these cells have more surface area for each bit of goo inside of them. Extending the outer surface of a cell into fingers, like an amoeba, or indentations, like the red blood cells shown above, can greatly increase the total surface area.

Interestingly, scientists are identifying the ratio between the surface area and volume as a crucial factor in work with nanotechnology. Take a look at the nanobot in the second visual of red blood cells. What do you suppose its function is?

To find out more, perform an Internet search using the following keywords: “nanotechnology,” “surface area,” “volume,” “nanobot,” and “red blood cells.”

Mathematics 10C Learn EveryWare © 2010 Alberta Education