How fast does electricity travel?

[her209]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: heymrdj

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Depending on the medium, some percentage of 299,792,458 m/s.

Depending on my energy, I move at some percentage of 299,792,458 m/s

Depending on what I had for dinner, I too move at some percentage of 299,792,458 m/s .

Text

(Not mine, like many things, it's just something I found somewhere.)

Hehe... I made that one. Pic supplied from this thread.

 

[Sea Moose]

Its not the speed of light(i thought it was speed of light as well). I got that answer wrong in my electrical exam i can get the answer, my books in my backpack but its cold out, so why dont you google it instead.

 

[Sea Moose]

Hey Op here is a really good website for putting all the basic electrical theories into context

http://phet.colorado.edu/simul...nstruction_kit_dc_only

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: heymrdj

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Depending on the medium, some percentage of 299,792,458 m/s.

Depending on my energy, I move at some percentage of 299,792,458 m/s

Depending on what I had for dinner, I too move at some percentage of 299,792,458 m/s .

Depending on what I had for dinner, my bowels move at some percentage of 299,792,458 m/s

 

[ShawnD1]

Originally posted by: edro
The speed of light.

This


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_field

From a classical perspective, the electromagnetic field can be regarded as a smooth, continuous field, propagated in a wavelike manner; whereas, from a quantum mechanical perspective, the field is seen as quantised, being composed of individual photons.

You need to remember that light, electricity, and magnetism are basically the same thing. They all use the same messenger particle - photons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photons

Alternatively, photons may be viewed as always traveling at c, even in matter, but they have their phase shifted (delayed or advanced) upon interaction with atomic scatters: this modifies their wavelength and momentum, but not speed. [81]A light wave made up of these photons does travel slower than the speed of light. In this view the photons are "bare", and are scattered and phase shifted, while in the view of the preceding paragraph the photons are "dressed" by their interaction with matter, and move without scattering or phase shifting, but at a lower speed.

Interactions with the medium relate back to the first link posted,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_electricity

In a vacuum the wave travels at the speed of light and almost that fast in air. Propagation speed is affected by insulation, such that in an unshielded copper conductor it is about 96% of the speed of light, while in a typical coaxial cable it is about 66% of the speed of light [2].

Instantaneous. Think of a a cylinder packed with BBs. Now if you shove a BB in at one end, at the other end, a BB pops out at the other end.

Some people [incorrectly] think that electricity works by shooting electrons through a conductor as if they were bullets in a gun. That idea is completely wrong. The above quote is a more accurate representation of how electricity works. The electrons are already there, you don't need to supply any. What we describe as "electricity" is not the electrons, but the field acting on the electrons. If I'm trying to run current through a mile long conductor, I don't need to wait for electrons to get from my negative terminal to where I am before I can detect current. All I need to wait for is the field, and it's damn near instantaneous. 66% the speed of light.

 

[Sea Moose]

OP, i am an electrical student. I had this question in my exam friday. Electrons do not travel at the speed of light. To put it into an example, this is why the internet is going from old fashioned copper lines to fibre optics. The power coming out of your electrical socket is not travelling at the speed of light.

I dont have the exact figure, (i cant find it in the text book) i will find out tomorrow, but it was definatley in my quiz and the answer WAS NOT THE SPEED OF LIGHT.

I will find out tomorrow, sorry if you ran out of time to answer your q in class.

 

[Itchrelief]

Originally posted by: heymrdj

Originally posted by: her209

Originally posted by: RESmonkey

Originally posted by: her209
Instantaneous. Think of a a cylinder packed with BBs. Now if you shove a BB in at one end, at the other end, a BB pops out at the other end.

No.

speed of electricity != speed of electron

Why, when i thought of his analogy, did i think of an enema .

Well, I always thought that in an enema, the poop comes out the same hole that the enema goes in.

As unpleasant as a traditional enema is, I don't think ANYONE would ever voluntarily subject themselves to one if it all had to come out their mouths... :Q

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: ShawnD1
Some people [incorrectly] think that electricity works by shooting electrons through a conductor as if they were bullets in a gun. That idea is completely wrong.

Actually it is not completely wrong. There are many cases in which electrons conduct ballistically.

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: silverpig

Originally posted by: ShawnD1
Some people [incorrectly] think that electricity works by shooting electrons through a conductor as if they were bullets in a gun. That idea is completely wrong.

Actually it is not completely wrong. There are many cases in which electrons conduct ballistically.

Remember silverpig, electron guns don't kill people, crazed mad scientists with a room full of plasma globes and Jacob's Ladders kill people.

 

[RESmonkey]

Originally posted by: ShawnD1

Originally posted by: edro
The speed of light.

This


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_field

From a classical perspective, the electromagnetic field can be regarded as a smooth, continuous field, propagated in a wavelike manner; whereas, from a quantum mechanical perspective, the field is seen as quantised, being composed of individual photons.

You need to remember that light, electricity, and magnetism are basically the same thing. They all use the same messenger particle - photons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photons

Alternatively, photons may be viewed as always traveling at c, even in matter, but they have their phase shifted (delayed or advanced) upon interaction with atomic scatters: this modifies their wavelength and momentum, but not speed. [81]A light wave made up of these photons does travel slower than the speed of light. In this view the photons are "bare", and are scattered and phase shifted, while in the view of the preceding paragraph the photons are "dressed" by their interaction with matter, and move without scattering or phase shifting, but at a lower speed.

Interactions with the medium relate back to the first link posted,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_electricity

In a vacuum the wave travels at the speed of light and almost that fast in air. Propagation speed is affected by insulation, such that in an unshielded copper conductor it is about 96% of the speed of light, while in a typical coaxial cable it is about 66% of the speed of light [2].

Instantaneous. Think of a a cylinder packed with BBs. Now if you shove a BB in at one end, at the other end, a BB pops out at the other end.

Some people [incorrectly] think that electricity works by shooting electrons through a conductor as if they were bullets in a gun. That idea is completely wrong. The above quote is a more accurate representation of how electricity works. The electrons are already there, you don't need to supply any. What we describe as "electricity" is not the electrons, but the field acting on the electrons. If I'm trying to run current through a mile long conductor, I don't need to wait for electrons to get from my negative terminal to where I am before I can detect current. All I need to wait for is the field, and it's damn near instantaneous. 66% the speed of light.

This is news to me. Electrons are photons? Can anyone clarify what ShawnD1 is saying? I'm almost sure that something with mass cannot travel at the speed of light, and electrons have mass.

Now I'm confused. Is an electric field the same as magnetism, according to that wiki? And is that field instantaneous?

 

[RichUK]

88Mph

 

[newb111]

Originally posted by: RichUK
88Mph

Only with 1.21 jiggawatts

 

[Lamont Burns]

Originally posted by: newb111

Originally posted by: RichUK
88Mph

Only with 1.21 jiggawatts

jigga who?

 

[RichUK]

Originally posted by: Lamont Burns

Originally posted by: newb111

Originally posted by: RichUK
88Mph

Only with 1.21 jiggawatts

jigga who?

Flux capacitor, please.

 

[Evadman]

Long story short:
You can walk faster than an electron itself actually travels though a wire. But if you put one electron into a wire, one will come out the other end at about 96% light speed.