Final answer:
The sodium potassium pump requires ATP to conduct active transport, moving ions against their concentration gradient to maintain cellular electrochemical gradients.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sodium potassium pump conducts a type of membrane transport called active transport. This process involves moving ions against their concentration gradient, which requires an input of energy in the form of ATP. The sodium-potassium pump is vital for maintaining the electrochemical gradients across the cell membranes, especially in nerve cells where it consumes about 25% of the cell's ATP. By pumping three sodium ions out and two potassium ions in for every ATP molecule used, it helps maintain a negative electrical gradient and proper concentrations of Na+ and K+ within the cell.