Magnitude of Electric Field in Cell Membrane?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on calculating the magnitude of the electric field across a cell membrane, which has a potential difference of 0.060 V and a thickness of 9.00 x 10^-9 m. The formula used is E = V/r, where V is the voltage and r is the thickness. A participant initially calculated the electric field as 6.7E-6 V/m, but this was deemed incorrect due to the expectation of a larger value given the small thickness. The correct calculation should yield a much higher electric field strength, indicating a potential error in the exponent or arithmetic. The conversation emphasizes the importance of careful mathematical evaluation in physics problems.
rcmango
Messages
232
Reaction score
0
[SOLVED] magnitude of electric field.

Homework Statement



The inner and outer surfaces of a cell membrane carry a negative and positive charge, respectively. Because of these charges, a potential difference of about 0.060 V exists across the membrane.

The thickness of the membrane is 9.00 x 10^-9 m. What is the magnitude of the electric field in the membrane?
in V/m


i believe the equation to be: E = V/r

not sure why .060 / 9.00 x 10^-9 would not work?

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution





it says my answer of: 6.7E-6 is incorrect??
 
Physics news on Phys.org
You are dividing a number by a VERY small number. This means that your answer should be a very big number. 6.7E-6 is not very big. Check your math. I think you may have made an sign error with your exponent.
 
Okay thanks, 6.7E6
 
Anytime.:smile:
 

Thread 'Rolling without slipping on a curved surface'

Kindly see the attached pdf. My attempt to solve it, is in it. I'm wondering if my solution is right. My idea is this: At any point of time, the ball may be assumed to be at an incline which is at an angle of θ(kindly see both the pics in the pdf file). The value of θ will continuously change and so will the value of friction. I'm not able to figure out, why my solution is wrong, if it is wrong .
View full post »
Thread 'Correct statement about a reservoir with an outlet pipe'

Thread 'Correct statement about a reservoir with an outlet pipe'

The answer to this question is statements (ii) and (iv) are correct. (i) This is FALSE because the speed of water in the tap is greater than speed at the water surface (ii) I don't even understand this statement. What does the "seal" part have to do with water flowing out? Won't the water still flow out through the tap until the tank is empty whether the reservoir is sealed or not? (iii) In my opinion, this statement would be correct. Increasing the gravitational potential energy of the...
View full post »
Thread 'A bead-mass oscillatory system problem'

Thread 'A bead-mass oscillatory system problem'

I can't figure out how to find the velocity of the particle at 37 degrees. Basically the bead moves with velocity towards right let's call it v1. The particle moves with some velocity v2. In frame of the bead, the particle is performing circular motion. So v of particle wrt bead would be perpendicular to the string. But how would I find the velocity of particle in ground frame? I tried using vectors to figure it out and the angle is coming out to be extremely long. One equation is by work...
View full post »

Similar threads

Magnitude of the electric field across cell membranes
Replies
8
Views
8K
Magnitude of the work done by electric field.
Replies
2
Views
4K
Find the magnitude of the electric field at point P
Replies
5
Views
2K
Cell and membrane volume physics
Replies
1
Views
2K
Magnitude of electric field E on a concentric spherical shell
Replies
17
Views
2K
Dependence of an electric field on distance
Replies
12
Views
2K
Question about parallel plate stuff
Replies
8
Views
9K
Change in the Electric Field Due to a Copper Wire Being Inserted
Replies
14
Views
5K
Help finding the voltage in a uniform E-field
Replies
3
Views
7K
What is the magnitude and direction of the electric field
Replies
23
Views
3K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top