What speed do electrons travel?

Answer 1

Electrons have mass, so they can't move at the speed of light. They can move at pretty much any other speed, depending on what they're doing, e.g. orbiting an atom, traveling down a wire, etc.

Answer 2

Electrons can have a wide range of speeds. A slow case: we know that

electrons move when there is a current flow in a wire, but the speed at

which the electrons themselves move in the wire -- the so-called electron

drift velocity -- surprises most people. For example, for a copper wire of

radius 1 mm carrying a steady current of 10 amps, the drift velocity is

only about 0.024 cm/sec ! On the fast side: the Bohr model of the hydrogen

atom has the (bound) electron zipping around the nucleus at about 2 million

meters/sec. And on the very fast side, some examples are: beta particles,

which are emitted by some radioactive materials; and the innermost elec-

trons of atoms of elements having large atomic number, such as uranium. In

these cases the electrons are traveling at very nearly the speed of light.

(about 300 million meters/sec).

Rcwinther So that you aren't confused, electron orbitals are not a variable in the speed of an electron. The shape of the orbital doesn't matter, whether it is S, P, D, F, G, H,... Orbitals are just there to represent potential energy.

However if an electron is traveling in a particle vacuum without a medium it would travel at exactly the speed of light. This is because an electron is a subatomic particle and so is a photon and photons make up light. All subatomic particles move at the speed of light.

Answer 3

The speed is alpha Zc/n = 7.2E-3cZ/n= 2.16E6 Z/n m/s. This is the fine Structure Constant Alpha times the speed of light times Z, the Atomic Number and n is the quantum level number. At Z=1 and n=1 the Hydrogen atom, the speed is 2.16E6 m/s.

Answer 4

The speed of light is 299,792,458 meters per second in vacuum. The concept of light

moving "through" an electron is quite meaningless.

-- Considering the light as a stream of particles: If one of the light particles (photons)

has enough energy to raise the electron to a higher energy level, or to liberate it

completely from its atom, then the electron absorbs the photon. If not, then the

photon continues on its way with no effect.

-- Considering light as a wave, the wave is almost unimaginably huge in comparison

to the electron. The question would be the equivalent of asking: "What is the speed

of the moon through a mosquito ?"

Answer 5

Electrons within a conductor typically drift at an average speed of about 0.1 mm/s in response to an electric field. However, they can move much faster during collisions and thermal movement. In a vacuum, electrons can travel close to the speed of light.

Answer 6

It can move at any speed, up to almost the speed of light.

Answer 7

depends on energy

Answer 8

30000km/hr

Answer 9

3000km/hr