Instead of many small ones, why does a cell not have a single giant mitochondrion? How does this relate to the concept of surface area?
[Pg. No. 22]

A cell has many small mitochondria instead of one giant mitochondrion because smaller mitochondria provide a larger total surface area for the same volume and help the cells to produce energy more efficiently. Mitochondria produce energy in the form of ATP, and many important reactions occur on their inner membranes. If there were only one giant mitochondrion, its volume would increase more than its surface area, so the surface area-to-volume ratio would become low. This would make the exchange of materials and energy production less efficient. Many small mitochondria also allow the cell to distribute them near parts where more energy is needed.