National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Serving Nanoscale Science, Engineering & Technology

Learning about surface area and volume

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Subject: General Science

Audience: Elementary

The purpose of this lesson is to help students extend their knowledge of area, perimeter, and volume to include surface area.  The understanding of these concepts begin in the elementary grades and helps students understand events such as why a hot potato cools down quicker when it is spread out in smaller pieces and why a cell is triggered to divide.  This understanding is even more important when students begin to understand  the micro and nano scales in middle and high school.