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Cell Structure

1. The cell has a surface area of 1,088 μm2, a volume of 1,920 μm3, and a surface area to volume ratio of 0.57 μm-1. 2. If the cell grew 10 times in size but maintained its cubical shape, its surface area to volume ratio would decrease by 10%. 3. To provide the same nourishment to a larger cell with 4 times the diameter, it would need 12,894 active transport proteins, compared to 200 for the smaller cell.

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20 views

Cell Structure

1. The cell has a surface area of 1,088 μm2, a volume of 1,920 μm3, and a surface area to volume ratio of 0.57 μm-1. 2. If the cell grew 10 times in size but maintained its cubical shape, its surface area to volume ratio would decrease by 10%. 3. To provide the same nourishment to a larger cell with 4 times the diameter, it would need 12,894 active transport proteins, compared to 200 for the smaller cell.

Uploaded by

Alen Ben
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BIOLOGY 100

SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS

CELL STRUCTURE
1. A cell is 8 µm in width and depth, and 30 µm in length. What is the surface area of this cell? What
is the volume of this cell? What is the surface area to volume ratio of this cell?

Consider the geometry of this cell:


8 µm

8 µm
30 µm

Surface Area = surface area of 2 ends + surface area of 4 sides


= 2 x (8 µm x 8 µm) + 4 x (8 µm x 30 µm) = 1,088 µm2

Volume = base x height x depth


= 8 µm x 8 µm x 30 µm = 1,920 µm3

Surface Area to Volume ratio = Surface Area ÷ Volume


= 1,088 µm2 ÷ 1,920 µm3 = 0.57 µm-1
Note: 1 is the same as µm-1
µm

2. If a cubical cell maintained its shape while it grew to ten times its initial size, by what percent
would the surface to volume ratio change?

The original cell is a cube and has sides with the dimension of 1 arbitrary unit (units are not
shown below).
Surface Area of original cell = total surface area of the six panels that form the cube
= 6 x (1 x 1) = 6
Volume of original cell = side3 = 13 = 1 x 1 x 1 = 1
Surface Area : Volume of original cell = 6 ÷ 1 = 6

The enlarged cell is also a cube but has sides ten times larger.
Surface Area of enlarged cell = 6 x (10 x 10) = 600
Volume of enlarged cell = 103 = 1,000
Surface Area : Volume of enlarged cell = 600 ÷ 1,000 = 0.6

Comparison of Surface Area : Volumes = SA : V enlarged = 0.6 = 0.1


SA : V original 6

Hence, the SA : V for the enlarged cell is only 0.1 (10%) of the original.

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3. If spherical cell A had a diameter of one unit and possessed 200 active transport proteins to pump
nutrients into the cell and cell B had a diameter of 4 units, how many more active transport proteins
would cell B need to provide the same nourishment to its cytoplasm? (Note: the formula for the
surface area of a sphere is: 4πr2, and the formula for the volume of a sphere is: 4/3πr3, where r is
the radius of the sphere and π is 3.1416.)

The transport proteins are supplying the cell with nutrients. The 'amount' of cell cytoplasm
being supplied is reflected by the cell's volume.

Cell A active transport proteins = 200


Volume = 4/3πr3 (remember, radius = diameter ÷ 2)
= 4/3 x 3.14 x (0.5 units)3
= 0.52 unit3
Relationship of transport proteins to cell volume = 200 proteins/0.52 unit3 = 385 proteins/unit3

Cell B Volume = 4/3 x 3.14 x (2 units)3


= 33.49 unit3

Transport proteins needed to supply cytoplasm of Cell B


= 33.49 unit3 x 385 proteins/unit3 = 12,894 proteins.

4. If a plant cell is 8 µm in width and depth and has a length of 30 µm, what is the surface to volume
ratio for this cell? If the same cell has a large central vacuole, so that the cytoplasm (not including
the vacuole) extends inward 1 µm from the plasma membrane of the cell, what is the surface to
cytoplasmic volume ratio? What does this tell you about the function of the plant vacuole?

Surface Area to Volume ratio = 1,088 µm2 ÷ 1,920 µm3 = 0.57 µm-1 (same as question #1)

Think of the second part of the problem as a smaller box


(vacuole) nested inside of a larger one (entire cell). The
volume of the cytoplasm (shaded area) will be the volume of 6 µm 8 µm
the larger box minus the volume of the smaller one (third 28 µm
dimension is not shown):
30 µm

Volume of larger box = 8 µm x 8 µm x 30 µm = 1,920 µm3


Volume of smaller box = 6 µm x 6 µm x 28 µm = 1,008 µm3
Volume of cytoplasm = 1,920 µm3 – 1,008 µm3 = 912 µm3

Surface Area to cytoplasmic volume ratio = 1,088 µm2 ÷ 912 µm3 = 1.19 µm-1

The cell surface area to cytoplasmic volume ratio is over twice that (209%) of the surface
area to volume ratio of the whole cell. One function of the vacuole is to increase the ratio of
the surface area to cytoplasmic volume.

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5. A cell and its nucleus both have a spherical shape; the nucleus is 1 µm in diameter and the cell is 15
µm in diameter. What is the cellular/nuclear volume ratio for this cell? If the cell were to triple its
diameter, how would the cellular/nuclear volume ratio change? (Note: the formula for the surface
area of a sphere is: 4πr2, and the formula for the volume of a sphere is: 4/3πr3, where r is the
radius of the sphere and π is 3.1416.)

Nuclear volume = 4/3 x π x (0.5 µm)3 = 4/3 x π x 0.125 µm3


Cell volume = 4/3 x π x (7.5 µm)3 = 4/3 x π x 421.875 µm3

Cell : Nuclear volume ratio = 4/3 x π x 421.875 µm3 = 3,375


4/3 x π x 0.125 µm3

In other words, the nucleus must control a cytoplasmic area that is 3,375 times its own size.

If the cell triples in diameter (assume the nucleus stays the same size since the cell will still
have the same amount of genetic material):

3x-cell volume (r = 7.5 µm x 3) = 4/3 x π x (22.5 µm)3 = 4/3 x π x 11,390.625 µm3

3x-cell : nuclear volume ratio = 4/3 x π x 11,390.625 µm3 = 91,125


4/3 x π x 0.125 µm3

In the 3x cell, the nucleus must now control an area of cytoplasm 91,125 times its own size.
Note that the cell increased its size (diameter) by only 3 times, but the cell : nuclear volume
ratio became 27 times greater, i.e., the area controlled by the nucleus increased 27 fold.

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