Final answer:
The electrical force of a -80 mV cell membrane potential will push a negative ion Y- out of the cell, and the strength of this force is represented by an electric field strength of approximately 8.89 MV/m, which is calculated using the potential difference and cell membrane thickness.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the cell membrane potential is -80 mV, the electrical force of this membrane potential will push a negative ion Y- away from the inside of the cell. This occurs because like charges repel each other, and the inside of the cell is negative relative to the outside. The strength of this force can be determined by calculating the electric field strength (E) across the cell membrane, using the formula E = V/d.
Given that the voltage (V) is 80.0 mV (or 0.08 V) and the thickness (d) of the cell membrane is 9.00 nm (9 × 10^-9 m), the electric field strength is calculated as:
E = 0.08 V / 9 × 10^-9 m
This gives us an electric field strength of approximately 8.89×10^6 V/m or 8.89 MV/m, which is indeed a surprisingly large value considering the small thickness of the membrane.