All right, think about the cell as a cube.
The only way the cell can get nutrients is through its sides, right? After all, it has to absorb nutrients through the plasma membrane. So, the cell's SURFACE AREA is important in determining how quickly it can uptake nutrients. However, the ENTIRE cell needs the nutrients, so they have to be distributed over the cell's VOLUME. Therefore, the surface area to volume ratio gives an indication of how well a cell will survive.
Now, let's imagine that our cubic cell is 1 micrometer on a side. Since a cube has six sides, its total surface area is 6 times the area of one side. Area = length x width, so one side is 1 micrometer x 1 micrometer = 1 micrometer². Now multiply that by six sides and you get a total surface area of 6 micrometers².
The cell's VOLUME is its length x width x height, or 1 micrometer³. So its surface area to volume ratio is 6 micrometers²:1 micrometer³.
Now let's say the cell grows so that it is 2 micrometers on a side. Now the area of a side is 2 micrometers x 2 micrometers = 4 micrometers². Its total surface area is 24 micrometers².
However, the cell's volume is 2 micrometers x 2 micrometers x 2 micrometers = 8 micrometers³. The surface area to volume ratio is now 24 micrometers²:8 micrometers³, which reduces to 3:1. The surface area to volume ratio decreases as the cell grows.
If the cell gets too large, it won't have sufficient surface area to meets its nutritional needs. So, cells have to divide every so often to keep their overall volume small relative to the surface area.
I hope that helps!
The cell is spread too thin to absorb enough materials and it dies
Its too large
Cells that become too large can either block nutrients to other cells, or become a cancerous cell.
If a cell becomes too large, diffusion is too slow to provide the interior of the cell with proper nutrients. The DNA of the cell can not be copied fast enough, and the larger a cell is the less surface area the cell has.
Proteins are keep the cell going. They have many jobs to do one of which give the cell the energy to do what the cell is program to do in the body. So no proteins are not to large to diffuse in cells
Cell division
Cell division prevents the cell from becoming too large.
A cell that is to large will either starve it self to death or eventually explode.
A cell that is to large will either starve it self to death or eventually explode.
The outer surface
The cell is spread too thin to absorb enough materials and it dies
Its too large
Its too large
Its too large
r u stupit it does not
The cell membrane folds around the molecule.
phagocytosis