Suppose that energy is used at a rate proportional to the mass. In this case, where V

Question:

Suppose that energy is used at a rate proportional to the mass. In this case,

where V represents the volume in cubic centimeters and t is time measured in days. The first term says that surface area is proportional to volume to the 2/3 power. The constant a1 gives the rate at which energy is taken in and has units of centimeters per day. a2 is rate at which energy is used and has units of per day. Check the units. Find the equilibrium. What happens to the equilibrium as a1 becomes smaller? Does this make sense? What happens to the equilibrium as a2 becomes smaller? Does this make sense?
Small organisms like bacteria take in food at rates proportional to their surface area but use energy at higher rates.