# Membranes by the Numbers

## TL;DR

This paper reviews the quantitative parameters that characterize biological membranes' mechanical, electrical, and transport properties, emphasizing the importance of biological numeracy in understanding membrane functions.

## Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of membrane parameters and offers order of magnitude estimates to enhance understanding of membrane properties.

## Key findings

- Key parameters of membrane mechanics, electrical properties, and transport functions identified.
- Order of magnitude estimates clarify the typical values of membrane characteristics.
- Highlights the importance of quantitative reasoning in membrane biology.

## Abstract

Many of the most important processes in cells take place on and across membranes. With the rise of an impressive array of powerful quantitative methods for characterizing these membranes, it is an opportune time to reflect on the structure and function of membranes from the point of view of biological numeracy. To that end, in this article, I review the quantitative parameters that characterize the mechanical, electrical and transport properties of membranes and carry out a number of corresponding order of magnitude estimates that help us understand the values of those parameters.