Class 10 Physics simulations · Electricity

Electron drift in a wire

Change wire thickness and current to see why electron drift is so slow.

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What to notice

A wider wire carries the same current with a lower electron drift speed.

Key relation

vd = I/(neA)

Try this

Double the wire radius and see the drift speed fall to one quarter.

What you can change

• Conventional current: 0.5 to 10 A
• Wire radius: 0.2 to 2 mm

More in Electricity

• Cells in series and parallel
• Ohm’s law circuit
• Electric power and the electricity bill
• Series and parallel resistors
• Resistance of a wire

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