- #1
wildredhead
- 8
- 0
Homework Statement
Cell Membranes and Dielectrics Many cells in the body have a cell membrane whose inner and outer surfaces carry opposite charges, just like the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor. Suppose a typical cell membrane has a thickness of 8.0×10−9 , and its inner and outer surfaces carry charge densities of -5.3×10−4 and +5.3×10−4 , respectively. In addition, assume that the material in the cell membrane has a dielectric constant of 5.4.
Find the magnitude of the electric field within the cell membrane.
Calculate the potential difference between the inner and outer walls of the membrane.
Homework Equations
E= 4(pie)kQ(sigma)
deltaV= E(deltaX)
V=4(pie)k(sigma)d
The Attempt at a Solution
I guess I am confussed on where to start...Can I use the first formula? I calculated both V and E using pie and obtained a wrong answer so can someone point me towards the right direction.