Isn't this important that if I observe the membrane with Na+ channel
and pumps more often than the pumping frequency..then I do not see then
in equilibrium at that moment...(for more long view,,it's only
equilibrium).but cells with only K+ channels,,it does not depend on how
often I see them...
Actually this was what I thought about the difference. But ..... even
thogh this is not the case....does it have any importance in biology?
I mean the averaging time scale..
Thanks for your replies..
s
In article <7stq8p$mcv$1 at fremont.ohsu.edu>,
Matt Jones <jonesmat at ohsu.edu> wrote:
> In article <199909291206.VAA01233 at math.ewha.ac.kr> Hur Sun,
>hursun at MATH.EWHA.AC.KR writes:
> >I do not see any fundamental (thermodynamic) difference between
equilibrium >state of glial cell and steady state of neural cell.
excetp that the energy is >needed for neural cell to make pump work.
>> This is exactly what distinguishes equilibrium from steady-state. At
> thermodynamic equilibrium, there is not net energy flow into or out of
> the system. This is not the case in a neuron, because as you say, it
> takes energy to run the pumps, etc. Anything where there is no net
change
> in some measured parameter can be called steady-state, but only some
of
> these things are at true thermodynamic equilibrium (and in biology,
that
> class of things goes by the name "dead things").
>> Cheers,
>> Matt Jones
>
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