Consider the Power Steering in a car.
The oil must move continously around the pump, hoses, and steering box in order to turn the wheels right or left.
Consider the pump as a battery or generator of electricity, the hoses to be the wires, and the steering box to be the electrical load.
If the oil does not flow, no energy is moved to the load, and the steering (work) is not done.
The high-tech answer is not simple. electrons need not to move continuously around any where not unless a EMF force is applied for an atom to be stable its nucleus has electrons moving around just like our solar system, Depending on its known characteristics each element has different number of electrons orbiting the nucleus They will maintain this orbiting path until an external force is applied .
Metals undergo a metallic bonding, meaning when two metals shares their valence electron they undergo metallic bonding. Within the metallic bond, there are enormous amount of free electrons or what we call " SEA OF ELECTRONS, MOBILISE NOT STATIONARY"constantly moving within the lattice. As we know electrons can carry electric and thermal energy through vibrations and pass the energy from each other throughout the lattice or structure. if u put a piece of metal under the sun light, eventually it will get hot and that's because electrons absorb the thermal energy from sun light and gets excited, the same way " when a guy see a hot girls" and starts vibrating.
Well intrinsic semiconductor is semiconductor crystal with no impurities in it. In intrinsic semiconductor the electrons in valence band(valence electrons) gain energy(due to thermal enegry) and break free into conduction band(means it become free electrons). As this electron breaks free, a vacancy is created in place of it. It is called as a hole. This hole has a positive charge. So current in semiconductor is due to flow of this free electrons and holes. But this current is very small in magnitude. The difference between free electrons and valenece electrons is that valence electrons are often bonded to other atoms in crystal. But free electrons can freely move throughout the crystal.
Only the free valence electrons forming the electron "gas" move and as many move in as move out. Only metals form this electron "gas".
There are no free electrons and holes in a pure semiconductor at 0k.
In the case of a metal conductor, such as a wire, an electric current is the result of a drift of free electrons along the conductor. Free electrons are electrons that have become detached from the outer orbit of the metal atoms, and move haphazardly from atom to atom. You can think of these electrons behaving somewhat like a gas that fills the voids between individual fixed atoms. This 'gas' of electrons is in a constant state of rapid, random, and chaotic motion. However, when a potential difference is applied across the ends of the conductor, there is a tendency for individual electrons to gradually move from the negative end of the conductor to the positive end. Individual electrons move in this direction VERY slowly -in the order of millimetres per hour. Since this happens to ALL the free electrons at the same time, the effect of this drift is felt practically immediately along the entire length of the conductor.
They only do so if there is a force pushing them (i.e., a voltage).
Current flows in conductors when a voltage is applied across them, creating an electric field that causes free electrons to move in the direction of the applied voltage. This movement of electrons constitutes an electric current. The current flow is facilitated by the presence of a closed circuit that allows the electrons to move continuously from the source of voltage to the load and back.
Yes, electrons move freely in metals.
Because electrons can move freely inside of many metals. And as well known electrons are responsible for conductivity.
Free electrons or delocalized electrons are electrons in a material that are not bound to a specific atom or molecule. These electrons are able to move freely throughout the material, contributing to its electrical conductivity. Delocalized electrons are commonly found in metals and conductive materials.
Electrons that do not move freely are called bound electrons. They are typically found within the structure of atoms, where they are associated with specific nuclei and form part of the electron configuration of the atom. Bound electrons are not free to move around and conduct electricity like free electrons can.
In glass, the electrons are not free to move due to the covalent bonds holding the atoms together. This lack of free-moving electrons leads to glass being an insulator with low electrical conductivity.
Free electrons exist in the conduction band, which is the highest energy band in a material where electrons are free to move and conduct electricity.
The fact that some electrons can move about easily.The fact that some electrons can move about easily.The fact that some electrons can move about easily.The fact that some electrons can move about easily.
In metallic bonds, electrons are free to move among more than two atoms. This is because in metals, the outer electrons are delocalized and can move freely throughout the entire metal lattice structure.
Electrons are free to move within an atom and between atoms, making them the subatomic particles that can easily move. Electrons are negatively charged and are responsible for the flow of electric current in conductive materials.
The electrons are free to move in metals because the nucleus have high charged density. This means that they move a bit faster, which is why metal gets hot, when plastics don't.