The odor of a smelly shower drain can be eliminated by removing debris from the drain. Discarding the odor-causing material in the garbage outside the home ensures the smell does not invade other areas. Boiling water dissolves oils and grease deposited on the sides of the pipe in the drain, which add to the smell.
Luckily for us, Nernst derived an equation that allows us to determine at what point the two forces (chemical and electrical gradients) balance each other - in other words, at what point we have an ionic equilibrium.
Advanced Topics in Physiology: The Nernst Potential. As you know from our discussions on membrane potential in living cells, our cells rely on the creation of an ionic gradient for the membrane potential. If you'll remember, an ionic gradient is basically two gradients combined - the chemical and electrical gradients combine together to make the ionic gradient.