Question at position 24 In the context of the neural impulse, which of the following is the status of the charges on each side of the cell membrane during the stage of resting potential?a negative charge on both the outside and the inside of the cell membranea positive charge on both the outside and the inside of the cell membranea negative charge on the inside of the cell membrane and a positive charge on the outsidea negative charge on the outside of the cell membrane and a positive charge on the inside

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Let’s break down the question about resting potential in neurons and evaluate each option carefully.
Option 1: 'a negative charge on both the outside and the inside of the cell membrane.' At rest, the inside of the neuron is more negatively charged relative to the outside, so having both sides negative would imply no membrane potential, which contradicts the established resting potential. This makes this option inaccurate.
Option 2: 'a positive charge on both the outside and the inside of the cell membrane.' If both sides were positively charged, there would be no potential difference across the membrane, or potentially an abnormal polarity, but this again conflicts with the characteristic negative interior during resting potential. Therefore this choice is incorrect.
Option 3: 'a negative charge on the inside of the cell membrane and a positive charge on the outside.' This description matches the classic resting membrane potential where the interior is negative and the exterior is relatively positive, due to ion distributions (primarily more K+ inside and Na+ outside, plus selective membrane permeability and unequal ion concentrations). This aligns with the fundamental concept of resting potential as a voltage difference across the membrane.
Option 4: 'a negative charge on the outside of the cell membrane and a positive charge on the inside.' This option reverses the polarity, claiming the outside is negative and the inside positive, which contradicts the well-established resting-state polarity of most neurons. Hence, it is incorrect.
In summary, option 3 correctly captures the polarity at rest, reflecting the typical intracellular negativity and extracellular positivity that establish the resting membrane potential, while the other options misunderstand or misstate the directional charge distribution across the membrane.

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