What is the purpose of the sodium-potassium pump in a resting...

The electrical potential difference across the resting plasma membrane is called the resting potential.The outer surface of the axonal membrane possesses a positive charge while its inner surface becomes negatively charged and therefore is polarisedThe sodium-potassium pump maintains the ionc gradients and potentials.

The sodium-potassium pump transports 3 Na⁺ ions outwards for 2 K⁺ ions into the cell. When a neuron is resting, the axonal membrane is comparatively more permeable to potassium ions and nearly impermeable to sodium ions. The axoplasm inside the axon contains high concentration of K⁺ and negatively charged proteins and low concentration of Na⁺.