What is the process of moving sodium and potassium ions across the cell membrane?

The process of moving sodium and potassium ions across the cell membrane is known as active transport. Active transport involves the hydrolysis of ATP to fuel the necessary energy required for the sodium-potassium pump. This process specifically uses primary active transport. As a source of chemical energy, ATP is directly used to transport ions across the cell membrane against their gradient. The sodium-potassium pump moves sodium out of and potassium into cells through a continuous cycle, which involves conformational changes. In each cycle, 2 potassium ions enter the cell while 3 sodium ions exit. 

This pump originally possesses a high affinity for sodium ions, and once these ions attach to it they induce the pump to hydrolyze ATP. A single phosphate group from ATP is phosphorylated and ADP is released. The process of phosphorylation causes the pump to undergo a conformational change, and shifts itself towards the extracellular space. Once this occurs, the pump then has a low affinity for sodium ions, and thus 3 sodium ions subsequently exit the cell. The pump now has a high affinity for potassium ions, and will attach to two of them. A single phosphate group also becomes phosphorylated as it did for the sodium ions. The pump then shifts back to its original shape, and opens facing the interior of the cell. There is now a low affinity for potassium ions, and thus 2 potassium ions are released into the cytoplasm. This cycle repeats itself to carry out the proper movement of sodium and potassium ions across the cell membrane.