The portion of a nerve cell thatconducts signals is called an axon. Many of the electrical properties ofaxons are governed by ion channels, which are protein molecules thatspan the axon’s cell membrane. When open, each ion channel has apore that is filled with fluid of low resistivity and connects the interiorof the cell electrically to the medium outside the cell. In contrast, thelipid-rich cell membrane in which ion channels reside has very highresistivity. Assume that a typical open ion channel spanning an axon’s membrane has a resistance of 1 * 10^11 Ω. We can model this ion channel, with its pore, as a 12-nm-long cylinder of radius 0.3 nm. What is the resistivity of the fluid in the pore? (a) 10 Ω . m; (b) 6 Ω . m; (c) 2 Ω . m; (d) 1 Ω . m.
The portion of a nerve cell that
conducts signals is called an axon. Many of the electrical properties of
axons are governed by ion channels, which are protein molecules that
span the axon’s cell membrane. When open, each ion channel has a
pore that is filled with fluid of low resistivity and connects the interior
of the cell electrically to the medium outside the cell. In contrast, the
lipid-rich cell membrane in which ion channels reside has very high
resistivity. Assume that a typical open ion channel spanning an axon’s
membrane has a resistance of 1 * 10^11 Ω. We can model this ion channel,
with its pore, as a 12-nm-long cylinder of radius 0.3 nm. What
is the resistivity of the fluid in the pore? (a) 10 Ω . m; (b) 6 Ω . m;
(c) 2 Ω . m; (d) 1 Ω . m.
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