what is the speed of electricity?

Answer 1

Well this question really needs some clarification, as the term electricity can be used in various ways. Let's assume we are talking of electric current. Electric current is defined as the ordered movement of electrons. The unit of current is the Ampere. One ampere of current flows when one coulomb passes a given point in a circuit in one second. The coulomb is the unit of charge as is equivalent to 6.25 x 1018 electrons.

Okay, when we close a switch in a circuit say to turn a light bulb on, how fast do electrons actually flow in the circuit?

The electrons inside the wires move very slowly, almost as slowly as the minute hand on a clock. The exact velocity of the electrons will depend on how much current is flowing and the type of conductor.

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Answer 2

Depends on what you mean.

If you're talking about the speed of the electrons, then the speed is incredibly slow. Of course, this would be kind of like measuring the speed of air molecules when you want to know the speed of sound. The electrons are the means of transporting an electrical charge just as air is the means of transporting sound. The speed of the electrons is interesting trivia, but not very relevant.

The speed of the electrical energy depends on the circuit (the type of wires, the components in the circuits, etc) and the frequency of the electrical signal. Sixty percent of the speed of light is as good a number as any other. It's probably at least in the ball park for a normal circuit, however, it's an answer that falls in the same category as "How fast does a plane go?". Different planes travel at different speeds and there's a lot of variation between a jet plane and a single prop biplane.

The formula for finding the speed of electricity is:

v = c/n

where v is the phase velocity, c is the speed of light, and n is the refractive index of the material.

The refractive index depends on the materials pemittivity and its permeability.

Enough effort and you speed up the signal way above 60%, though. If you want a superfast computer, you can decrease the processing time by decreasing the distance between components (tends to cause overheating) or speeding up the signal using superconductors (usually at very low temperatures). I imagine you could intentionally slow the signal speed way below 60% of the speed of light, but there's probably not much of a market for that.

In other words, there isn't a general answer for your question any more than there's a general answer for how fast a plane goes or how fast a car goes.

Answer 3

Depends on the conditions. This is like asking what is the speed of a car, when cars travel at different speeds.

If you mean the speed of an electrical signal traveling down an electrical cable, it's typically about 2/3 times c.

Answer 4

Depends on what you mean. The force of electricity, the voltage, is carried by an electomagnetic wave; electromagnetic waves are light. So electricity travels at the speed of light, since that is what electricity is.

If you are asking how fast a charge actually moves when it is being pushed upon by an elctromagnetic wave, well that depends on the medium.

Answer 5

Electricity is the drift of electrons in a conductor. This drift is very, very slow - typically a few mm per second (you could outcrawl it).

An electrical signal propagates in a conductor in a way that depends on the properties of the conductor itself and the frequency of the signal being applied. This is much faster than the drift velocity, but significantly lower than the speed of light.

Answer 6

The average velocity of current in a wire is called the drift velocity. It's related to the electric field acting through the wire. One formula is v = u * E; E being the electric field and u being the mobility of the electrons in the material.

Answer 7

Depends who you're talking with- I was told by a Journeyman Electrican Teacher that they moved "instantiously, faster than light". I argued, and was thrown out of the class.

The speed of FORCE of electricity is about 10,000 miles per hour, depending on the conductor, the amount of the impurities in the wire, etc.

The speed of neurons firing in the human brain is about 300 feet per second. So, since bullets normally travel faster than 1500 feet per second (Give or take a bit) you'd be dead before you knew it

Answer 8

Electicity is one branch of physics. In electriciy we study about static and current electricity.

Electricity is not that one moves with speed,

We can speak of the speed of elicrtrons in a material; speed of charges under the influence of an elecrtic field and the speed of an electro magnetic waves etc.

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Answer 9

The speed of light.

Answer 10

speed of electricity arises from the movement of electron,electron has a mass so it speed will be less than of light