Lesson 5 ·Class 9 · Cell : The Unit of Life · Match Lab
Cell Shape Follows Function
Why a nerve cell is not shaped like a red blood cell.
Match each cell to the reason it has the shape it does.
Matched 0/6
Free play — tap an item on the left, then its partner on the right; each link tells you why. Switch to when you're ready to test yourself.
Ask what the cell has to DO, then ask what shape would make that easier.
What this lesson covers
Challenges to clear
- Match every cell to its reason.
- Connect the biconcave disc to the two advantages that shape gives it.
The task
Match each cell to the reason it has the shape it does.
What this lesson covers
- Red blood cell — biconcave disc — More surface for absorbing oxygen, and flexible enough to squeeze through capillaries (It even loses its nucleus to make room for more haemoglobin.)
- Nerve cell — long and branched — Carries impulses over long distances and connects to many other cells (Length spans the distance; branches make the connections.)
- Muscle cell — long and spindle-shaped — Can shorten along its length to produce movement (Contraction needs a long axis to shorten along.)
- Root hair cell — long thin projection — Greatly increases the surface for absorbing water (A thin extension is a cheap way to buy a lot of surface area.)
- Guard cell — bean-shaped pair — Changes shape to open and close a pore (Unequal wall thickness makes it curve when it swells.)
- Squamous epithelial cell — flat and thin — Thin enough for substances to diffuse straight across (Which is why alveoli and capillaries are lined with it.)
Hint
Ask what the cell has to DO, then ask what shape would make that easier.