Scaling exponents:

  • 0.9 for companies
  • 0.85 for infrastructure of cities
  • 0.75 for organisms

Why there are physical limits to size of things

  • Area (and strength) increases with with the square of lengths.
  • Volume (and weight) increases with the cube of lengths.

As length increases, strength can't keep up with weight, therefore a strcture collapses under the weight of itself.

  • Relative strength systematically increases as size decreases