Surface Area, Volume, and Biological Systems
Surface area and volume are concepts that are usually underrated in a class setting, but are nonetheless significant in many-real-world situations, ranging from events as simple as building a house to as complicated as forming a person. Calculating and examining these principles provides minor details that makes big differences.
The human body is one example. It's striking to know that the human body is made up of millions of tiny cell complexes, all functioning as a sensitive, fragile system of balance and homeostasis, and it's difficult to imagine such a machine functioning as smoothly as it does, especially when we know of the dire consequences that can stem from a single mistake. Nonetheless, our bodies work very efficiently, and proven to be advanced in our respective environments. Still, the truth is that the truly remarkable detail lies in the network of the microscopic cells that form the body. Their size enhances the body's productivity by increasing the area available for reaction, the surface area, more specifically.
Size seems to be an important characteristic of our culture. We live in a market of bigger and better things, which is definitely something to aspire for. But what's usually forgotten are the substance of these bigger and better things. Like the consumers and producers that build an economy, so do atoms and elements build matter. The connections and pathways that they make between each other are the driving force that allows life to carry on in the way that we so dearly know it. This is what makes surface area more important. These cells may be small, but in the end they are able to make many more meaningful connections because the chemicals and their reactants are more readily available. If the cells were bigger, they would probably have a larger capacity in terms of mass, but it would be more strenuous for the cell to respond to its environment because there would be extra space and extra chemicals inside the cell that would have to move towards the outside of the cell in order to have successful, individual reactions with the surrounding substances. The surface area to volume ratio is simply too small. It would simply be time-consuming and energy draining; our bodies would not be able to work as efficiently if our cells were larger. The cells in our bodies are small, but numerous, and in the end result in a large surface area; plenty of open space for the atoms to react. Surface area expands beyond the microscopic scope into the macro; the shape of our organs (our lungs and intestines for example) are also shaped to maximize surface area so that there is more room for chemical reactions.
There are many more uses that stem from the human body. When painting a house it's important to know the surface area of the walls in order to figure out how much volume of paint to buy. When engineers design machines such as cars or planes they must use surface area to calculate factors such as wind resistance and pressure. In manufacturing surface area must be calculated to minimize costs without decreasing productivity (say when constructing metal plates for building projects). Even the efficiency of a towel can be maximized (and determined) by how well surface area is incorporated in its design.