THE RELATION BETWEEN THE RATIO OF SURFACE ARE TO VOLUME AND RATE OF COOLING IN BADGERS

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine how surface area to volume ratio affects heat conversion. The question being addressed is: Why are animals in colder climates larger than animals in warmer climates? The study approaches this question by setting up a controlled experiment that evaluates how the size of a clay sphere affects the rate of cooling of that sphere. In the experiment, four trials were done, each examining the rate of cooling of five separate spheres, each sphere varying by 1 cm. in diameter. The major results show that as the size of the sphere increases, the rate of cooling slows. In addition, as the diameter increases, the surface area to volume ratio decreases because volume increases at a faster rate than surface area. Meaning larger objects have a smaller SA:V ratio then small objects. In conclusion, a larger object will have a smaller SA:V ratio; as well as a slower rate of cooling. This conclusion answers the originally posed question of why animals in colder climates are larger than animals in warmer climates. A large animal will benefit most from a small surface area because this slows the rate of cooling due to less heat lost to the environment through the skin, thus conserving more heat.