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Can someone help me work this physics problem out please?? I need to determine t

ID: 2276948 • Letter: C

Question

Can someone help me work this physics problem out please?? I need to determine the magnitude. thanks!


The fluid within a living cell is rich in potassium chloride, while the fluid outside it predominantly contains sodium chloride. The membrane of a resting cell is far more permeable to ions of potassium than sodium, and so there is a transport outward of positive ions, leaving the cell interior negative. The result is a voltage of about -85 mV across the membrane, called the resting potential. The membrane (about 50 atom-layers) is roughly 8.0 nm thick. Assuming the E-field across the cell membrane is constant,

determine its magnitude.

Explanation / Answer

electric field = potential * thickness = 85 x 10^-3 * 8 x 10^-9 = 680 x 10^-12 N/C