OrganisationFoundationSurface Area to Volume RatioCalculation
AQA GCSE · Question 06.1 · Organisation
Table 4 shows information about four jellyfish. The jellyfish are listed in order of increasing size.
Calculate value X in Table 4.
How to approach this question
1. Look at the row for jellyfish A. Find the Surface area (3600) and the Volume (1200).
2. The ratio is given as "Surface area to volume ratio". This means you need to calculate Surface Area ÷ Volume.
3. To express the ratio in the form X:1, you divide both sides of the ratio (3600 : 1200) by the second number (1200).
4. Calculate 3600 ÷ 1200 to find the value of X.
Full Answer
Surface area = 3600 mm²
Volume = 1200 mm³
Ratio = Surface area / Volume = 3600 / 1200 = 3
So the ratio is 3:1.
X = 3
The surface area to volume ratio is calculated by dividing the surface area by the volume. The result is then expressed in relation to 1.
For jellyfish A:
- Surface area = 3 600 mm²
- Volume = 1 200 mm³
To find the ratio, we calculate:
Ratio = Surface Area / Volume = 3600 / 1200
To simplify the division, we can cancel the zeros:
Ratio = 36 / 12
36 divided by 12 is 3.
This means the surface area is 3 times larger than the volume. So, the ratio is 3:1.
Therefore, X = 3.
Common mistakes
✗ Dividing volume by surface area (1200 / 3600 = 0.33).\n✗ Making a simple arithmetic error.\n✗ Not understanding how to express a ratio in the form X:1.
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