What carries the current in a wire?

Answer 1

the metal ;-)

Metal consists - like every material - of protons and neutrons as a nuclei and electrons who orbit them. In a metal the nuclei are so near to each other, that electrons are able to 'jump' from one nucleus to another.

Take the earth as nucleus and the moon as electron. Now imagine, the mars would be so closed to the earth, that the moon is sometimes orbiting the earth and sometimes the mars.

That is ecactly what happens in metal all the time and that's why those electrons are called free electrons. Due to the fact that an electron is containing an electric charge, the the charge does move from one place to another.

So electrons carry the electric charge, while nuclei are not able to bond.

Answer 2

Current in a wire is carried by the lattice of electrically conductive atoms, each allowing electrons to jump from atom to atom, as the electron flow progresses through the conductor.

Due to the opposition of same-charged particles, the electrons will tend to congregate on the surface of the conductor, an effect called skin-effect, which means that the bulk of the current flow will be on the surface, particularly for higher voltages encountered in utility power distribution systems.

Answer 3

All wires carry what every the line voltage is. How a wire carries electricity, without getting into electrical theory, is called the skin effect in which electricity travels on the surface area of a wire or conductor. Electricity is 'pushed' along by an effect called EMF or electromotive force.

Answer 4

Charged particles, usually. The most common case is electrons, but there are other options, for example holes, or ions.

The previous answer is very limited (and mostly wrong). Yes, the electric field can act on charges and give them energy, but it is giving away its own energy.

An Electric field itself represents a store of energy, where photons can carry energy from place to place (macroscopically, using the poynting vector). To convince yourself of this, consider a sharp discharge spark on a high voltage source. It sends off a bit of EM radiation into space. All charges involved in its production go into the negative terminal of the apparatus. The EM wave, however, will go off to infinity, carrying energy along with it.

The short answer to your question is that the electric field itself is a store of energy. The energy density at a point is given by the expression 1/2*(permittivity of free space)*E^2.

Answer 5

All things on earth are made up of tiny particles called atoms. There are many kinds of atoms, but they all consist of a dense central structure called the nucleus around which negatively charged particles called electrons rotate. The flow of these negatively charged electrons within a material is called an electric current.

{Answered by Sharla W.]

Answer 6

A typical metal wire for electrical conduction is the stranded http://www.answers.com/topic/copper-3 http://www.answers.com/topic/wire.

Answer 7

Electrons transfer electricity through wires.

Answer 8

electric wires

Answer 9

electrons in the metal

Answer 10

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