Best Answer: Discrete, in this sense, means the opposite of continuous. An example of a continious variable would be the speed of a car. It can be anywhere ...
Most cells are small for two main reasons: a). The cellâs nucleus can only control a certain volume of active cytoplasm. b). Cells are limited in size by their surface area to volume ratio. A group of small cells has a. relatively larger surface area than a single large cell of the same volume. This is important. because the nutrients, oxygen, and other materials a cell requires must enter through it surface. As a. cell grows larger at some point its surface area becomes too small to allow these materials to enter. the cell quickly enough to meet the cell's need.
Cell growth (cell enlargement) is as fundamental for growth of organisms as is cell division. Implicit in cell growth is an increase in cell size, i.e., cell enlargement. Without cell enlargement, no organism can continue to grow. Cells unable to enlarge eventually are unable to divide such that growth will cease. Yet, compared to cell division, the enlargement phase of cell growth has been largely neglected by cell biologists.