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Surface Area to Volume Ratio

Edexcel AS-level BiologyGas ExchangeLesson 2 of 23

The surface area to volume ratio (SA:V) compares how much surface an object has with how much volume it contains. For an organism, surface area limits how fast substances can be exchanged, while volume sets how much is needed.

To calculate it, work out the surface area and the volume, then divide the surface area by the volume. For a cube of side length L:

surface area = 6 × L2     volume = L3

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