This experiment was performed in order to shed light on the microscope size of most cells. The test was done to observe the relationship between the surface area and the volume of the cell. By using different sized samples of blue agar as our "cells", we observed how fast and how well they could take in an acid.
Introduction.
Almost all cells are unable to be seen by the naked eye. The reasoning for their extreme tiny size lies in the a cells surface area/volume ratio. A cell is surrounded by a plasma membrane which controls everything that enters and leaves the cell. " The plasma membrane must be large enough relative to the cell volume to keep up with the demands of regulating the passage of materials" (Solomon 73). If the volume of the cell exceeds the handling capabilities of the cell membrane, the cell will die. The survival of the cell depends heavily upon the relationship between its surface area and volume (Petersen 59).
In this experiment, different size samples of blue agar were used as cells of various sizes. I believe that that the "cells" of great size and volume will not be able to take in enough acid to fill is large body. The small "cells" will be far more efficient due to its larger surface area/volume ratio. .
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Methods.
The experiment was performed inside of a laboratory under normal, room conditions. The experiment began with obtaining four cylinders of blue agar of different diameters and cutting each a different lengths ranging from 10 to 70 mm. After the cells were precisely measured and cut, they were placed in a bowl of 0.3 N H SO . The cells were kept in the bowl for 7 minutes. After time had ran out, the cells were removed from the bowl and cut in half. The remaining blue portion of each cell had its diameter and length measured. The results are shown in the table.
Results.
The largest cell before the experiment had a diameter (d) of 20mm and a length (L) of 70mm.