How fast does electricity travel through copper wire? Does the voltage potential travel at the speed of light?

Answer 1

The field travels close to the speed of light as far as I know....however, the actual electrons (if it's dc current) don't travel very fast..

Answer 2

Since "light", or electromagnetic radiation, moves along in quanta called photons which have no mass, they can travel at light speed. Electrons, although very very small, are particles of matter. No matter can travel at light speed. And, electrical current travels along, not through, a copper wire.

Answer 3

a specific individual electron travels at waht is called the "drift velocity". The drift velocity is very very small.

v_drft = J/(ne)

where J is the current density in the wire: amps/meter^2
n is the density of electrons: electrons/meter^2
e is the charge of the electron: 1.6X10^-19 Coulombs

suppose the current in the wire is 1 amp and the cross-sectional area is 1 mm^2

assuming the wire is copper, the number of electrons is given by:

n = (1e/atom)(6.022X10^23 atoms/mole)(8.96 g/cm^3)*(1 mole/63.5 g)

n = 8.5X10^22 electrons/cm^3

so we find:

J = 1A/10^-6 m^2 = 10^6 A/m^2

v_drft = (10^6 A/m^2)/[8.5X10^28 electrons/m^3)(1.6X10^-19C)]

v_drft = 0.0735X10^-3 m/s

so we see that electrons crawl through the wires at a snails pace.

the wave of information is the thing that travels at c (the speed of light) not the particle. imagine a row of dominos. topple the first one and then they all begin to fall, you can watch the information wave travel accross the dominos but the individual dominos have not moved much from their original position.

how the potential changes depends upon the circuit. But in general "No."

Answer 4

The warpcontinual works via the reality that even however remember or something with mass can not return and forth faster than easy, area itself can. which potential it isn't the deliver that strikes, this is area that strikes via the employer collapsing the area in front of the deliver and increasing the area in the back of it. certainly it shortens the area from easy years to 300 million kilometres. As to the G forces, there are no G-forces to to rigidity approximately. The warpcontinual isn't a great useful antimatter rocket, yet an engine that strikes area. and because this is area that strikes and not the deliver, then there are no G-forces using fact the deliver would not enhance up.