RESTING POTENTIAL

Question 1

What are the 3 stages?

Answer 1

1. Sodium potassium pump
2. Voltage gated sodium ion channels
3. Potassium Ion channels

Question 2

what is stage 1 and what happens?

Answer 2

1. Sodium Potassium Pump
   - Via active transport, using ATP
   - 3 Na+ are pumped out of the cell
   - 2 K+ are pumped into the cell

Question 3

what is stage 2 and what happens?

Answer 3

2. Voltage gated sodium ion channels
   - the voltage gated sodium ion channels are closed
   - SO the membrane is not permeable to Na+

Question 4

what is stage 3 and what happens?

Answer 4

3. Potassium ion channels

- The potassium ion channels are open so some K+ diffuse out down their electrochemical gradient

Question 5

how is the resting potential maintained?

Answer 5

equilibrium is not reached because there is a greater positive charge outside the membrane due to the stages