For example, the surface area of a cube is the total area of all six square faces. This is 6 × side². Surface area is measured in square units including cm² and m².

Cut those two, and the four blocks sport 24 sides. The result: same volume of ice, but much more surface area. With more "faces" exposed to air or liquid, it's easier for heat to diffuse into the ice.

The big surface area of those hairy grey flaps gives elephants their best shot at cooling down quickly. And all those wrinkles aren't for show — they add extra cooling surface.

Surface-to-volume ratio is a fundamental concept in nanotechnology that describes the relationship between the surface area and volume of a material or object. As the size of a material decreases to ...