Is the velocity of an electron in a conductor the current? If so, according to Ohm's law, it seems as though the current is directly proportional to voltage, and would be registered on a DC volt meter. Is it possible to make the needle on a DC voltmeter swing according to a cosine function by measuring AC sine waves having a very long cycle? If so, why would the needle on the DC voltmeter be swinging?
Faster along the long axis of the wire but slower perpendicular to it? I made the assumption that the wire was straight. But if the conductor didn't have a cylindrical shape, the conductor was not of a homogeneous substance, or the source and outlet of electricity wasn't centered, then the situation would be more complicated! How do electrons move in a wire that is wound like wire is wound in a motor?
Photons move at the speed of light.
Current flows according to
the drift nature of the material which is partly determined by the
number of valance electrons of the material. The drift is rather
slow, and is also dependent on current density and other things.
There should be a formula somewhere on the web if you look up
'drift electrons' or something like that. You can estimate the
speed of the current flow in a given size conductor with
a given current level this way.