Khan Academy: Surface Area to Volume Ratio of Cells

Demonstrate the ratio of surface area to volume in your high school class by using phenolphthalein, gelatin, and an onion. Intrigue the class by leading a discussion on osmosis and diffusion, then making "scientific jello." Participants...

Cell size is limited by the surface area to volume ratio, but why is this true? Scholars measure the surface area and volume of cubes before placing them into liquid. After a set amount of time, they measure the uptake by diffusion for...

Mathematicians analyze the relationships between surface area and volume. They conduct Internet research, conduct various experiments, record the data in a spreadsheet, and graph the results and compare the rate of increase of surface...

Young scholars measure the rate of diffusion and to calculate the surface area to volume ratios of varying cell sizes. The lesson is very clearly organized with a useful student worksheet provided. They perform a lab experiment which is...

Do you know how much you are accelerating down toward the center of Earth? This video will explore how to use Newton's Law of Gravitation to figure it out. [8:37]

Learn how different compounds are able to move across the cell membrane to get where they need to go. [11:50]

Explore the structure of cell membranes including cholesterol, glycolipids, glycoproteins, phospholipids, and proteins. The video shows and discusses the fluid mosaic model as well as how cell walls differ from cell membranes. 

Students examine the surface area to volume ratio and how they relate.  In this surface area lesson students complete several activities.

Explore how cells communicate with a video that features the symbiotic relationship between a bioluminescent bacteria and the bobtail squid. The resource explains quorum sensing in bacteria and how epinephrin is linked to glycogen...

Explanation of how entropy relates to the number of states a system can take on. [28:26]