as a cell increases in size, the ratio of its surface area to its volume?

Answer 1

A cell which is small has a high ratio of surface area to volume. As the cell gets bigger, the surface increases by the square, but the volume increases by the cube, so the ratio will get smaller.

Answer 2

This is one of the classical reasons why cells cannot grow to be very large. The surface area does not increase at the same rate as the volume. What's the problem? As the volume increases, the cell needs ever larger amounts of materials which must enter the cell through the plasma membrane. At the same time, the surface area (the size of the plasma membrane) has not increased at the same rate as the volume. So there's really not enough plasma membrane to allow enough materials to diffuse into and out of the cell to support the larger volume inside. Big problem. So it's time for the cell to divide when the cell reaches the point that the surface area cannot support the volume.

I agree with the first poster:
--A smaller cell has a larger surface area to volume ratio than a larger cell has.

Answer 3

As a cell increases in size it changes its surface area to volume ratio.

Answer 4

If the cell may be approximated by a sphere, it's surface area is 4*pi*r^2 and it's volume is (4/3)pi r^3. So the ratio of surface area to volume would be proportional to 1/R.