Question

The capacitance of a nerve membrane can be increased by:

A. decreasing the width of the membrane.
B. decreasing the surface area of the membrane.
C. decreasing the charge stored across the membrane.
D. increasing the voltage difference across the membrane.

Answer 1

Increasing the voltage difference across the nerve membrane increases its capacitance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The capacitance of a nerve membrane can be increased by increasing the voltage difference across the membrane. When the voltage difference across the membrane is increased, the electric field strength across the membrane also increases, resulting in a higher capacitance. This occurs because the larger voltage difference causes more charge to be stored across the membrane, which increases the capacitance. Other factors, such as the width or surface area of the membrane, do not directly affect the capacitance.