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The electrons themselves do not move at the speed of light. Electrons in a DC circuit move because of the application of an electric field. Like molecules in a gas, the charge carriers, electrons, undergo a Brownian-like motion through the conductor. The average drift velocity can be calculated by I=nAvQ, where I is current, n is the number of charged particles, A is the cross section area of the conductor, v is drift velocity, and Q is the charge on each particle.

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Q: Do electrons in a DC circuit travel at the speed of light?
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Why are electrons travel at greater than speed of light in television?

They don't. Nothing can exceed the speed of light. Electrons in a television travel much slower than the speed of light.


Do protons travel through an electric circuit at or near the speed of light?

Electricity, this may be electrons in a direct current. In an alternating current the electrons stay where they are and it is only the energy that moves between electrons.


Object traveling through the speed of light?

Electrons are able to travel close to speed of light.


Are calculators at the speed of light?

A calculator can only operate as fast as the electrons that carry the current through its circuits. Electrons have mass, and mass can never travel at the speed of light; therefore, calculators do not operate at the speed of light.


When a light switch is turned on in a dc circuit what is the average speed of electrons in the lamp?

Speed of electronsYou can indeed calculate this if you have much more information. (See the nearby link.) But the surprising thing is that the electrons travel VERY SLOWLY. In fact, if the electrons had to get to the lamp before you would see the light, we would wait several seconds in the dark each time we turned on the light.So the energy transfer in a circuit is wildly different from the electron transfer.


Can electricity travel at the speed of light?

Electromagnetic waves propagate at or near the speed of light, since photons are the carrier of the electromagnetic force, however electricity (that is, the transfer of electrons in a coil or wire) travels quite a bit slower Electrons will vibrate in the coil at "Fermi velocity" which is 1500000 m/s for electrons, but will actually travel the length of the wire at .0003 m/s So, usually no, electricity does not travel at the same speed as light.


Do electrons move faster than the speed of light?

No. Because of their mass, they travel slower than c.


Do electrons go really fast?

The speed of electrons vary, according to charge or voltage. But most electrons travel just under the speed of light. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per sec. meaning an electron could completely circle the Earth 7 times in 1 second. That is fast.


How fast do electrons travel?

In wires and other conductors, electrons travel very slowly. They drift along at molasses speeds, like 1 mm/sec. In vacuum tubes, electrons travel more quickly, around 1% of the speed of light. But the speed of the electrons isn't really important for circuits. What matters is the speed of electric field waves. These waves travel down the wire almost up to the speed of light, and they are responsible for the "instantaneous" effects we see from electricity. Think of a wave traveling across the surface of a slow-moving river, or the speed at which sound waves travel through slow-moving air. Waves can travel much faster than the medium that carries them.


What do you need to travel at the speed of light?

There is no way to travel at the speed of light.


Is it possible to travel at the speed of light in water?

The speed of light in water is less than the speed of light in space. Only light can travel at the speed of light.


Can a person travel at a speed of light?

No. Nothing with mass can travel at the speed of light.