Basic Electricity - Relation Between Current and Drift Velocity
1 Answer
Certainly! In the context of basic electricity, let's discuss the relationship between current and drift velocity.
Electric Current:
Electric current refers to the flow of electric charge in a conductor. It's the rate of flow of electric charges through a cross-sectional area of a conductor. Electric current is typically measured in Amperes (A) and is denoted by the symbol "I."
Drift Velocity:
Drift velocity is the average velocity of charged particles, such as electrons, in a conductor due to the application of an electric field. In a conductor, there are many free electrons that move randomly due to thermal motion. When an electric field is applied, these electrons gain a net average velocity in the direction of the field. This is called drift velocity and is denoted by the symbol "v_d."
Relation Between Current and Drift Velocity:
The relationship between electric current (I), charge of the particles (q), the number of charge carriers (n), and drift velocity (v_d) can be expressed by the formula:
=
ā
ā
I=nā qā v
d
ā
Where:
I is the electric current (in Amperes)
n is the number of charge carriers per unit volume (in particles per unit volume)
q is the charge of each particle (in Coulombs)
v
d
ā
is the drift velocity of the charge carriers (in meters per second)
From this formula, you can see that the electric current is directly proportional to both the drift velocity and the number of charge carriers. When an electric field is applied to a conductor, it accelerates the free electrons, causing them to move with an average drift velocity in the direction of the field. The more charge carriers there are in the conductor and the faster they move, the greater the resulting electric current.
It's important to note that the drift velocity is typically quite small, even in conductors with high current. This is because the random thermal motion of electrons is much faster than their net drift motion.
In summary, the relationship between electric current and drift velocity involves the number of charge carriers, their charge, and the average velocity they gain due to an applied electric field.
Electric Current:
Electric current refers to the flow of electric charge in a conductor. It's the rate of flow of electric charges through a cross-sectional area of a conductor. Electric current is typically measured in Amperes (A) and is denoted by the symbol "I."
Drift Velocity:
Drift velocity is the average velocity of charged particles, such as electrons, in a conductor due to the application of an electric field. In a conductor, there are many free electrons that move randomly due to thermal motion. When an electric field is applied, these electrons gain a net average velocity in the direction of the field. This is called drift velocity and is denoted by the symbol "v_d."
Relation Between Current and Drift Velocity:
The relationship between electric current (I), charge of the particles (q), the number of charge carriers (n), and drift velocity (v_d) can be expressed by the formula:
=
ā
ā
I=nā qā v
d
ā
Where:
I is the electric current (in Amperes)
n is the number of charge carriers per unit volume (in particles per unit volume)
q is the charge of each particle (in Coulombs)
v
d
ā
is the drift velocity of the charge carriers (in meters per second)
From this formula, you can see that the electric current is directly proportional to both the drift velocity and the number of charge carriers. When an electric field is applied to a conductor, it accelerates the free electrons, causing them to move with an average drift velocity in the direction of the field. The more charge carriers there are in the conductor and the faster they move, the greater the resulting electric current.
It's important to note that the drift velocity is typically quite small, even in conductors with high current. This is because the random thermal motion of electrons is much faster than their net drift motion.
In summary, the relationship between electric current and drift velocity involves the number of charge carriers, their charge, and the average velocity they gain due to an applied electric field.