Square-cube law
Ley cuadrático-cúbica
- Date
- 1638 · confidence high
- Place
- Arcetri, Florence, Italy
- Credited to
- Galileo Galilei
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
Physical principle stating that as an object's size increases, its volume grows faster than its surface area, limiting structural strength and explaining why organisms and structures cannot be scaled up indefinitely; described by Galileo.
What it led to
- biomechanics and size limits of living organisms
- structural and materials engineering
- design of large-scale bridges and buildings
- theory of the strength of materials