describe how electrons flow in a circuit
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Electrons flow in the opposite direction of proton
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The electrons do literally move, both in AC and DC. However, the movement of electrons and the transfer of energy do not occur at the same speed. The key is that there are already electrons filling up the wire all along its length. A common analogy for electrical current in a circuit is the flow of water through pipes.
Imagine a water pump connected to a loop of pipes. It has the ability to pump water around the loop, supplying energy to the system like a battery does to a circuit. Suppose we run the pipes to the other side of the room and attach a turbine, which is connected by gears to a fan. Whenever the water flows through the turbine, the fan will turn.
Let's start with everything off and sitting still. When we first turn on the pump, there will be a delay before the fan starts turning, since it takes time to transfer energy from one side of the room to the other. However, if the pipes are already full of water, the delay will be much shorter than the time it takes for water to actually move across the room. Instead, the fan will start turning as soon as the pressure wave applied to the water by the pump makes its way across the room through the water in the pipes. The velocity at which energy flows through the water circuit depends, then, on the speed of pressure waves in water (also known as the speed of sound).
By analogy, the velocity at which energy flows through an electrical circuit depends on the speed of electromagnetic waves in that circuit. This can often be a significant fraction of the speed of light in vacuum (~70-80%). However, the actual electrons do not physically move around the circuit that quickly. In fact, they move at an average rate of around 1 meter per hour in a typical DC circuit. This is known as drift velocity:
Imagine a water pump connected to a loop of pipes. It has the ability to pump water around the loop, supplying energy to the system like a battery does to a circuit. Suppose we run the pipes to the other side of the room and attach a turbine, which is connected by gears to a fan. Whenever the water flows through the turbine, the fan will turn.
Let's start with everything off and sitting still. When we first turn on the pump, there will be a delay before the fan starts turning, since it takes time to transfer energy from one side of the room to the other. However, if the pipes are already full of water, the delay will be much shorter than the time it takes for water to actually move across the room. Instead, the fan will start turning as soon as the pressure wave applied to the water by the pump makes its way across the room through the water in the pipes. The velocity at which energy flows through the water circuit depends, then, on the speed of pressure waves in water (also known as the speed of sound).
By analogy, the velocity at which energy flows through an electrical circuit depends on the speed of electromagnetic waves in that circuit. This can often be a significant fraction of the speed of light in vacuum (~70-80%). However, the actual electrons do not physically move around the circuit that quickly. In fact, they move at an average rate of around 1 meter per hour in a typical DC circuit. This is known as drift velocity:
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