Class 12 Physics simulations · Current Electricity

Electron drift in a wire

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

Open the simulation

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 Current Electricity

• Cells in series and parallel
• Ohm’s law circuit
• A real cell under load
• Kirchhoff’s laws: two-loop circuit
• Potentiometer: comparing EMFs
• Resistance and temperature
• Series and parallel resistors
• Wheatstone bridge

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