Can anyone explain in simple terms the square cube law and how it applies to animals and people. I have seen it referenced to fictional beast, especially those who are absurdly large. But can anyone explain it what it actually means
In: Biology
It just means that if you increase the dimensions of something, the surface area grows with the square of the size and the volume grows with the cube if the size. For example, if you double the size of a cube, the length of its sides increase 2x, it’s surface area increases 4x and it’s volume increases 8x.
This has implications in biology because it puts limits on how large organisms can get. For example, if you double the size of an animal, it’s mass increases 8x, but the cross-section of it’s muscle, and therefore it’s strength, only increases 4x. If it existed, it would collapse under it’s own weight and die.
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