Basically, it's saying that the surface area divided by the volume is made as low as possible. I'll use pieces of paper to demonstrate, since those are much easier shapes to use than leaf shapes. Think of a piece of paper. read more
The surface-area-to-volume ratio, also called the surface-to-volume ratio and variously denoted sa/vol or SA:V, is the amount of surface area per unit volume of an object or collection of objects. In chemical reactions involving a solid material, the surface area to volume ratio is an important factor for the reactivity, that is, the rate at which the chemical reaction will proceed. read more
Surface Area to Volume Ratio Understandings: Surface area to volume ratio is important in the limitation of cell size. Many reactions occur within the cell. Substances need to be taken into the cell to fuel these reactions and the wast products of the reactions need to be removed. When the cell increases in size so does its chemical activity. read more