...but electricity generally flows through wires at a lower speed than the speed of light....
O.K. i just have had a look at this thread it is a mixture of scientific and silly discussion, any way I think it was earjun who asked that "How an electron get to the destination as soon as we turn on the switch, the destination being at very far?" and there was the answer from luisgerman explaining about electromagantic wave and that stuff ( all these on page 1 of the thread).......
Well I'm not a genius but this is what I was tought in school, an electron enters into conductor from negative terminal of source and at the same time one electron gets out of the conductor at the other end being pulled by positive terminal of the source.Look at the Doc,
If an electron actually travels THROUGH the conductor than that would change the whole atomic structure of the conductor (COPPER), The image explains why the electricity reaches to destination as soon as the switch is closed.
Is there a relationship between the length of a wire through which AC can travel and the cycle of the AC?
Hi Eric,
YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, but you actually need not to put those link to explain me basic electronics ( Though I did sound like I need) That CRT comment strike my mind and opened my eyes, I'm sorry I was wrong, Thanks for nice response.
hi Chris,
Dont forget, other less experienced members read our posts, so I find it helpful to give the 'students' a more detailed description,
thats why I include links.
There are actaully a number of things to consider. One is the drift velocity of the electrons but, in practical circuit analysis, that's meaningless.
If thats the case how do you explain the resistance of a conductor.?
It's basically a physics class problem. More important is the speed with which the electrical field propagates along the conductor.
Thats what my posts say.
If you have a garden hose, full of water and you turn on the tap at one end, the water will almost immediately start coming out the other end...but, it's not the same water that's going in. But, even there, the water does not come out instantly. There's a delay while the molecules jostle each other as the pressure effect propagates along the hose. THEN, the water starts coming out.
Thats what my posts say.
Same with a wire. The wire is full of electrons (the famous valence electrons being involved in these situations). When the EMF is applied across the ends of the wire the electrons act like the water molecules in a hose with the effect traveling quickly and the actual electrons moving more slowly.
Thats what my post say.
The CRT is a completely different animal. In the CRT the electrons are emitted from the cathode and accelerated, as a formed beam, to some high + potential...but, through a vacuum. In a CRT the electrons themselves travel fast.
Where do you think the CRT cathode gets its electrom beam current from.?
I appreciate the cathode is coated with thorium compounds, but the electron circuit is via the cathodes external connection and the EHT anode.
Again, as a side note, the electrons in the beam can actually be made to change velocity as they travel and that's the basis for the operation of vacuum tubes such as klystrons and magnetrons and traveling wave tubes.
I worked on Ground Radar for 5 years so I'm upto speed on all those devices.
Hi Eric,
Isn't this something and SOMEWHAT I talked about ?
If you have a garden hose, full of water and you turn on the tap at one end, the water will almost immediately start coming out the other end...but, it's not the same water that's going in. But, even there, the water does not come out instantly. There's a delay while the molecules jostle each other as the pressure effect propagates along the hose. THEN, the water starts coming out.
Say a conductor has 10 atoms in it and say with 10 free electron in total (1 in each atom) then even the total time taken to start current will be Length of conductor / Drift velocity of a single atom rather than Length of conductor/ TOTAL of drift velocities of all 10 electron.
No offence intended, but basically you have just repeated what I have said already.
Hi Eric,
So all you are trying to say is that I was wrong only in believing that electron only SHIFTS and doesn't travel THROUGH up to the other end, am I right ? Is that the point you are making ? If so then this was also a wrong assumption..was it ?HTML:Say a conductor has 10 atoms in it and say with 10 free electron in total (1 in each atom) then even the total time taken to start current will be Length of conductor / Drift velocity of a single atom rather than Length of conductor/ TOTAL of drift velocities of all 10 electron.
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