The capacitance of the cell membrane is estimated to be 89 pF , and approximatel

Question

The capacitance of the cell membrane is estimated to be 89 pF , and approximately 10000 Na+ ions flow through an ion channel when it opens.

Based on this information and what you learned in this chapter about the action potential, estimate the total number of sodium ion channels in the membrane of a nerve cell.

Explanation / Answer

---------->Since C=Q/V -------->89x10^-12 = N x 1.6x10^-15 /50x10^-3 ------------>N = 89x10^-12 x 50x10^-3 / (1.6x10^-15) ------------>= 2781 ----------------->= 3000 (to 1 significant figure, as it is only a crude estimate)

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