Surface area : volume
Make the cube bigger or smaller.
As the cube gets bigger, its surface area to volume ratio gets smaller.
Now see how the ratio is calculated.
Find surface area. Find volume. Then bring them together.
Surface area
Volume
One cube. Eight cubes. Sixty-four cubes.
Start with an 8 × 8 × 8 cm cube. In each round, cut the cubes in half along their length, width and height. Separate the pieces so every face is exposed. No material is removed, so the total volume stays the same.
What changed?
| Cubes | Side (cm) | Total SA (cm²) | Total V (cm³) | SA:V |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 384 | 512 | 0.75 : 1 |
| 8 | 4 | 768 | 512 | 1.5 : 1 |
| 64 | 2 | 1536 | 512 | 3 : 1 |
Choose the trend
Your biology check
Answer 10 multiple-choice questions (10 marks), then 5 longer questions (20 marks). Check your multiple-choice answers. For each longer answer, reveal the mark scheme and tick the points you included.
You mark your own longer answers. Your work stays here while the page is open. Refreshing the page clears it. Answers are not sent to your teacher.
Explain your thinking
Finish your self-assessment
Compare your answer with each mark scheme. If your answer includes none of the points, leave the boxes unticked: that question scores zero.
Submit the multiple-choice answers and reveal all five mark schemes first.
